UDL & Maker Activity #2

For my latest and greatest assignment in my graduate class CEP 811, I read about UDL (Universal Design for Learning). UDL is a research based educational framework that guides and promotes the development of flexible learning environments that meet and accommodate individual learning needs.  In UDL, there are multiple means of 1) representation, 2) expression, 3) engagement, all intended to increase student motivation and learning.  Part of my exploration of UDL included checking out this (FREE) UDL Tech Toolkit.  It was amazing to spend the two hours I spent looking at these resources...and I plan on going back to go through and try out each one at some point this summer!

I also went back to my Maker Activity #1.  After reflecting on my original lesson, I found a few tweaks that I could use to incorporate UDL and make this activity even better for all my learners in my classroom.  Here is my revised activity:

REVISED: The Maker’s Kit Activity #1: (revisions are in red)


Since the Montessori Method primary focuses on the learner’s choice and mastery of the task, I thought that this exploration activity would be a unique way to incorporate my littleBits Starter kit into my classroom.

Instructional Goals:

• My instructional goals: 
• Students will explore the littleBits kits and record their observations.
• Students will create at least one working machine/circuit.
• Students will demonstrate their acquired knowledge using technology.

Materials:

• Science notebooks, Popplet, bubbl.us, or CAST Science Writer
• littleBits Starter kit
• computer/Internet access

Methods:

•  I will introduce the littleBits kit to the classroom and give a very brief explanation of the learning outcome of this activity: Students will be able to explore, create and demonstrate at least one working machine/circuit. 

• Students sign up for time with the littleBits kit.  They will be given 15 minute appointments when they can explore and play with the kit components while taking notes and sketches of their findings.  Students will not be limited in the number of appointments for which they can sign up.  
• Students will record their thinking and observations using a method of their choice: pencil/paper (aka Science Notebook), Popplet, bubbl.us, or the CAST Science Writer.  

• Once students feel they have mastered at least one creation with notes and sketches, they will then write a post on the classroom Wikispace that summarizes their explorations and includes at least one picture of their creation.  
• Each student will respond to two other blog posts with the intent to provide constructive feedback for their peers.

Assessment:

This activity follows the constructivist approach seen in the Montessori Method as students will build their knowledge of circuits and machines through their explorations of the littleBits kit.  Students have the choice of when and how often they can explore the kit.  The formative assessment of the blog post is done only when the student feels they have a mastery of the activity.  

Reflection

I was very happy that my original activity had a good foundation and already incorporated pieces of UDL.  For example, I varied the methods for response and navigation by allowing students to work at their own pace and choose/make their own appointment times to work with the materials.  I extended this UDL guideline to include alternatives for recording observations and thinking by including the three 'tools' from the UDL Tech Toolkit: Popplet; bubbl.us; CAST Science Writer.  This activity also already gave learners optimized individual choice and autonomy as well as provided mastery-oriented feedback - the blog post is only done when the learner feels he/she has mastered the concept and teacher/peer also provides mastery feedback.

References:

CAST (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA: Author.

CAST.  UDL Guidelines- Educator Worksheet 2.0.  Retrieived from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XoDbdf561xTP4Y_7v_BdEBqVSf07_yVxWuQ0y66IN0I/edit

Free Technology Tool Kit for UDL in All Classrooms. Retrieved from http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/.

Design Experiment #1 (Experience Design)

What a week!  It felt as though I were sprinting all week long!  All the way to Thursday at 2:12 = officially summer vacation!  Between finalizing report card, managing the mob...errr...students, and packing up my classroom, I also had to find time to work on my graduate assignments.  Lucky me!

This week's assignment was to read up on Experience Design and use a program called SketchUp Make to redesign, or hack, a learning space so that it fits 21st Century Learning.  So what is Experience Design?

According to Wikipedia, "Experience design (XD) is the practice of designing products, processes, services, events, and environments with a focus placed on the quality of the user experience and culturally relevant solutions.   An emerging discipline, experience design draws from many other disciplines including cognitive psychology and perceptual psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, architecture and environmental design, haptics, hazard analysis, product design, theatre, information design, information architecture, ethnography, brand strategy, interaction design, service design, storytelling, heuristics, technical communication, and design thinking."

Last summer, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to change my classroom after completing my first year teaching fourth grade.  Cooperative learning and responsive classroom were (and still are) two very important elements I used when teaching.  My students and I spend an average of 5.5 hours every weekday in the classroom, so it needs to be a learning space that is 1) inviting, 2) flows, and 3) fits learner needs.  Not to mention, it also had to house 28 bodies...and it was a smallish classroom!  Looking forward to next year, there are some more tweaks in that will be coming, so this assignment has gotten me plotting a little earlier than last year.  I want to make the most of the time with my students...and our learning environment

Current classroom set up:

Trapezoid tables grouped in two so four learners could work in heterogeneous groups.  They are labeled by table numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6).  Smart board is front and center of the west wall; two smaller whiteboards flank it. My computer cart is up toward the front of the classroom, primarily because it is tethered to the Smart Board.  I decided to forgo my desk...not once did I use it the prior year...and space is a premium in the classroom.  The classroom library/meeting area are in a corner at the front of the room where there is a 5x8ft area rug, some milk crate benches, and floor pillow.  There are also two extra free-standing bookshelves to handle the ever-expanding classroom library, reader's notebooks, and the math RTI stations.  This corner is where a bulk of my ELA whole-group instruction takes place (my building has completely adopted the workshop model for reading and writing).  We also do our math calendar work here when we need to make observations or have a discussion.  At the back of the room, student mailboxes occupy one counter top.  The back wall is lined with one large whiteboard that is flanked by two bulletin boards on either side.  There is also a large table with four chairs for the listening center/RTI small group table, two student desks and two more small tables for multi-use purposes.  These tables are flex-spaces...the learning that goes on in these places varies throughout the day and year.  I may have a science demonstration set up for small groups to complete.  It could be a strategy group station during our literacy block.  Sometimes students sit back in these areas when they feel they need a less distracting location.

What currently works:

I like how the classroom space is already set up for cooperative learning.  When I arrange the seating chart, I keep tables mixed up with student ability levels.  This makes small group work easy to transition to during math, social studies, and science.  Having student tables grouped like this also allows for prearranged work spaces for our literacy block/station rotation.  Our meeting area is large enough for everyone without allowing for huge spaces between partners or groups.  The built-in bookshelves help create a visible area for our classroom library. 

Currently, my biggest complaint about my classroom (other than size) is the lack of in-room technology for my students' use.  I had one student computer the previous year, but that was taken away and never replaced.  This was and continues to be a huge disappointment for me.  Technology is vital in any 21st Century classroom and I am not able to incorporate this component into the classroom for my students.  Sure, my building has two computer labs that will fit my entire class...but I also have to schedule time and fight for that time with 17 other classrooms.  

Ideal Classroom in an Ideal World:

If I had the funding available, the biggest change I would make to my classroom would be to have four computers for student use at the back of my classroom.  Students would use this area for research, blogging, math/reading practice and remediation, keyboarding, etc.  I plan on using a virtual classroom next year for students to make reading responses and book recommendations through discussion posts.  This would also be a platform for math tutorials and the extension of many problem-based learning projects.  These computers would also enable students who do not have access to the internet or similar technology at home the opportunity to use it on a daily basis...not just weekly.  I have dreams of 'flipping' social studies and science units next year, that student access to technology at home is a huge concern. Exercise ball chairs at the computer station allow for the 'wiggles' common for my grade level and promote the development of strong core muscles.  Eventually I would love to have these exercise ball chairs for all my students.  The cost of four computers, the licensing, networking, tech-support, etc would be at least a few thousand dollars. Four exercise ball chairs would be an additional couple of hundred dollars. 

Here are a few examples of what my classroom would look like if I could get my hands on these 'ideal' materials!  These were created using SketchUp:

Resources:

Experience Design.  (n.d.)  In Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.  Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org  /wiki/Experience_design

Ultra Micro MOOC - Fabulous Formative Assessment for Beginners

This week, my CEP 811 assignment was to explore the world of MOOCs.  Yes, MOOCs.  Massively Open Online Courses.  A really fun acronym, huh?  The actually MOOCs are even better.  Check out P2PU - Peer 2 Peer University to check out a few MOOCs if you are interested.  They are all free and the topics are far ranging, from bathroom remodeling to Python programming (seriously!).  Or if you are really motivated, create your own MOOC.  Which is ultimately what I was assigned to do this week.  So here the the outline of my hypothetical P2PU course, Fabulous Formative Assessment for Beginners. 

I chose to feature formative assessment as my course topic because I have been on my elementary's FAME (Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators) Team this past academic year.  My time on in the professional learning team has taught me so much about F.A.  The biggest surprise?  I was already using F.A. strategies and techniques; I just needed to take what I was doing to the next level (analysis & student feedback) to make it truly meaningful to my instructional design and decision-making.  So I thought, why not create a MOOC that would do the same for other educators who may not have such a great learning opportunity otherwise?

In my Fabulous Formative Assessment for Beginners course my peers will master formative assessment by creating a 'toolbox' of techniques and sharing/collaborating with peers about their implementation progress in their own classrooms.

Course Topic:
This course will provide a basis for the implementation of formative assessment in CCSS classrooms.  Members will discover the intent behind formative assessment as well as how to easily implement it and give timely and meaningful feedback to their students. 

Fabulous Formative Assessment for Beginners

Who: 
This is an open space for educators (or anyone else who is curious) to explore formative assessment implementation and tools with other peers.  With the full-implementation of the CCSS looming in the horizon, formative assessment is one of the many catch-phrases being thrown about but many educators haven't explore the instructional impact formative assessment can have on learning targets and goals.  As a newer teacher who has spent the last year implementing formative assessments in my classroom, I have a few tried and true tools and techniques that helped me grasp this catch phrase and make it a meaningful part of my instructional decisions.

What:
At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Recognize current uses of formative assessments strategies and tools
• Plan and target use of F.A. strategies and tools
• Analyze student evidence
• Provide timely and meaningful feedback to students
• Make instructional decisions based on student evidence

Participants will master formative assessment 'tools' at their own pace and share their discoveries with peers.  This course will stay open for the purpose of future collaboration and peer sharing as participants master and create more F.A. tools and strategies.

Why:
With the higher-level thinking skills required by the CCSS, it is imperative that educators are able to quickly and effectively make instructional decisions based on student progress.  Formative assessments provide not only teachers, but also learners, with valuable insights into knowledge gained and learning progress.  Many educators already use formative assessments in their classrooms everyday and either a) don't realize they do, or b) don't know what to do with the data collected.  This course will correct both of these issues and provide a foundation for effective formative assessment implementation in classrooms.

Formative Assessment Toolbox:
Peers will collect formative assessment 'tools' to put into a 'toolbox' of techniques to use in their own classrooms.  Tools will be posted in the classroom and organized into the following categories:

• Self-Assessment
• Activating Prior Knowledge
• Goal Setting 
• Peer Assessment
• Feedback Use

These categories will serve as the primary method for the toolbox collection as well as sharing and evaluating the effectiveness of the formative assessment strategies and tools throughout the course.

Fitting the Pieces Together: 
Mastery of the formative assessment strategies and tools as presented and shared throughout this course will provide the foundation and framework for the successful and effective implementation of formative assessment within participants' classrooms.  This course will create a learning platform that  encourages professional learning and sharing of resources as well as formative assessment successes and misses.  Peer collaboration and evaluation will encourage self-paced skill mastery as each participant gradually implements F.A. as they move through the course.  This MOOC combines the content knowledge of a FAME (Formative Assessment for Michigan Educators) team member, pedagogical knowledge of educational peers, and the opportunity to share and increase technological knowledge of all participants that incorporates the TPACK framework.

Peer Interaction:
Peers would help each other throughout this course by providing feedback to the tools and strategies implemented and developed.  Most of the higher-level learning would take place during peer interactions and discussions, and peers would learn from others as far was what formative assessment strategies worked, how it worked, and what could be done to make it even better.

Resources:

(n.d.). Peer 2 Peer University. Retrieved from https://p2pu.org/en/

Dodge, J. (2009). 25 quick formative assessments for a differentiated classroom, easy, low-prep assessments that help you pinpoint students\' needs and reach all learne. (1 ed.). Scholastic Teaching Resources. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-are-formative-assessments-and-why-should-we-use-them

Maker Experiment #1

So I splurged and purchased the littleBits Starter Kit (my chosen Maker's kit for CEP 811) for($89)  my classroom.  Yeah...a little expensive for a single mother with the salary of a third-year teacher, but sometimes there are things worth the money.  And I am happy to say this is definitely one of them!

The Latest Graduate Class Assignment:

This week I was assigned to play around with my Maker's kit some more. And I did...when I could wrestle it away from my five-year-old.  (I must say, he was incredibly amazed and proud of himself when he was able to put the littleBits together and create a circuit/machine.  He loves the vibrating output bit.)  Anyway, I was assigned to 'tinker and imagine' with my Maker's kit and how I could use it with a classroom activity and connect it to learning theories. 

The Learning Theory:

In the late 1890s, Maria Montessori began to formulate what is now known as the Montessori Method in Italy.  Her philosophy and methods were based on her observations of children within their learning environments and the materials and lessons used.  The founding principles and concepts of Montessori theory can be applied across all ages. These principles are: Independence, Observation, Following the Child, Correcting the Child, Prepared Environment and Absorbent Mind. Maria Montessori held with these goals and beliefs in regards to the education of children.

“Montessori education is fundamentally a model of human development, and an educational approach based on that model. The model has two basic elements. First, children and developing adults engage in psychological self-construction by means of interaction with their environments. Second, children, especially under the age of six, have an innate path of psychological development. Based on her observations, Montessori believed that children at liberty to choose and act freely within an environment prepared according to her model would act spontaneously for optimal development.”  (Wikipedia)

Here is a video that briefly outlines Montessori principles.

Eissler, T., (2011, Jan 28). Montessori Madnesss.[Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GcgN0lEh5IA

The Montessori education and learning theory fits in well with the discovery approach I envision when using the littleBits kit in my classroom.  My students love to explore and have the ownership of discovery placed in their hands…why not give it to them?  Let them create and problem solve their way through the Maker’s kit while documenting their successes and failures?

The Maker’s Kit Activity:

Since the Montessori Method primary focuses on the learner’s choice and mastery of the task, I thought that this exploration activity would be a unique way to incorporate my littleBits Starter kit into my classroom.

•  I will introduce the littleBits kit to the classroom and give a very brief explanation of the learning outcome of this activity: Students will be able to explore, create and demonstrate at least one working machine/circuit. 

• Students sign up for time with the littleBits kit.  They will be given 15 minute appointments when they can explore and play with the kit components while taking notes and sketches of their findings.  Students will not be limited in the number of appointments they can sign up for. 

• Once students feel they have mastered at least one creation with notes and sketches, they will then write a post on the classroom Wikispace that summarizes their explorations and includes at least one picture of their creation. 

This activity follows the constructivist approach seen in the Montessori Method as students will build their knowledge of circuits and machines through their explorations of the littleBits kit.  Students have the choice of when and how often they can explore the kit.  The formative assessment of the blog post is done only when the student feels they have a mastery of the activity. 

References:
Hubbell, E. R., (2006). Authenticity & Technology in Montessori Education. Montessori Life, 18 (2), 16-20. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=3d1798a4-3d2f-4671-bca9-e9e604a8fc49%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=118&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=eft&AN=507860724

Hubbell, E. R., (2003). Integrating Technology into the Montessori Elementary Classroom. Montessori Life, 15(3), 40-41.  Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=e6de2230-0b52-4252-b6f7-04296fc1b550%40sessionmgr104&vid=1&hid=118&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=eft&AN=507824176

Montessori education. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education

Thrifting in the Mitten

Any teacher loves a good bargain, right?  With school budgets crunching numbers for next year, extra monies for classroom staples such as paper and pencils are dwindling as I type this blog post.  Not to mention extra little luxuries such as composition books, grade level text books, glue, staples, markers, etc.  So forget the fun stuff that will force students to problem solve and get creative, right?

NO!

We must model creative problem solving.  WE are teachers...this is part of what we do...so model!  Go thrifting!  Wait...we already do.  :)  Most teachers (including myself) spend the summers scanning store shelves and garage sales for items we could use or repurpose in our classrooms.  We nag for store discounts...our pennies are precious (with pay cuts and rising insurance premiums).  I justify my out-of-pocket spending by asking this one question, "Will it truly enable my students to learn (insert unit/concept/learning goal)?"  If the answer is yes, then I figure out how much I can scrape by with and take a deep breath.

In comes my latest assignment from my current graduate class (CEP 811 through the MSU MAET Program, if your are curious...): Repurposing & Thrifting.  We were suppose to go thrift shopping (in person or virtually) and find some objects to incorporate/interact with our Maker Kit (I chose the littleBits Starter Kit) that could be used in our classrooms.

I love the littleBits kit!  It is fun (bright colors!) and easy to use...every little bit fits together with magnets.  This is fool proof for even the most electrically challenged.  (==> me!)  My five year old

son was able to create a few simple circuits as well.  The different types of bits are color coded by purpose: blue - power; pink - input; green - output; orange - wire.  All the pieces came in a nice little box with a nine volt battery and cable as well as an instruction sheet...but who needs instructions when there is discovery to be had?  I spent approximately three hours experimenting with the little bits and how they work together. 

For me, finding a way to incorporate this assignment into my lessons was kinda easy...electrical circuits are a national standard taught at my grade level, but I wanted to take this a step further and incorporate another science standard that I will be teaching next year: forces that shape the Earth.  There is a cool output bit called a bargraph (part 09) that has five lights that respond to the input.  It reminded me of a Richter Scale...earthquakes!  There is another bit that is a vibration motor (part 04) that I thought would work well for demonstrating the shaking felt from earthquakes.  A force that shapes the Earth!  Bingo!

Now for thrifting...I went to my local Goodwill but the only things I found that I thought would work well with my earthquake machine were Legos...and my son has tons of them at home and at school.  I knew I would need somethings that were small and lightweight. So I thrifted from my house too...some matches and smaller Legos.

Earthquake Machine directions:

1. You need the following bits: Battery and connector, Wall power bit (p1), Potentiometer bit (i6), Vibration motor bit (o4), Bar graph bit (o9), Wire bit (w1)
2. Connect the battery to the wall power, the wall power to the wire, the wire to the potentiometer, the potentiometer to the bar graph, and the bar graph to the motor (as in the picture below)

3. Cut a piece of cardstock approximately the size of a postcard or a little bigger out of a used box.
4. Place the circuit on the cardboard. Using it as a guide for positioning, mark where holes should be cut for the potentiometer, bar graph lights and the motor to pop through.
5. Cut the holes out of the cardstock face and make sure that everything fits well.
6. Take the cardstock off the circuit and decorate it as you like. Then, place the decorated cardstock back on your circuit.
7. Carefully flip the circuit and the cardstock over, and attach the circuit to your cardboard with electrical tape.  Masking tape also works well.
8. Cut a small square out of the card -board, about one inch on each side.  Loop a piece of regular tape to the back of the square piece of card-board.  Stick one side of the motor to the tape. .
9.  Make another loop of tape, and attach it to the cardboard front of your quake machine.
Stick the other side of the motor to your quake machine. You should now have a little platform that will quake when you turn on your circuit.

10. Test out your circuit. When you turn the potentiometer, you should see the bar graph light up. The more lights you see on the graph, the more your quake machine should shake
11. Once your machine has been tested and is working, put it in a safe place until you are ready to use it to simulate an earthquake.

Earthquake Machine Activity:

 Prior to creating the circuit, we will have activated prior knowledge and either read about earthquakes or watched a Discovery Education video, just to get students familiar with the Richter Scale and the basics of earthquakes.  Then students would be asked to thrift themselves by finding and bringing in small, light-weight items to test out on their earthquake machines.

In small groups or pairs, students would conduct active research with their earthquake machines with their found materials and collect data in their science notebooks such as the intensity of the 'earthquake,' the time it took to shake off the items, etc.  At the end, the entire class would share the results of their research.

Here is a brief video of my attempt at using my Earthquake machine:

 I can't wait to play around with my littleBits Stater kit some more so I can find more ways to incorporate it into my classroom!

(This project is very similar to one found on the littleBits Project Page...I found this after I came up with my concept.  My activity and extensions are entirely original work.)

littleBits. (n.d.). Quake Machine - Projects. Retrieved from http://littlebits.com/projects/quake-machine

Gamification Remix

As part of my graduate class in the MAET program through Michigan State University  I will be posting a few of my assignments via Teaching in the Mitten as a sharing platform.

This is the first assignment I will share.  I was required to create a short (one minute) video that explains one of the latest 'buzz words' in educational technology.  I chose gamification...it seems like a fun concept to encourage and promote student engagement in lessons.  What do you think?

http://popcorn.webmadecontent.org/1198

Please be kind!  This was my first attempt using Mozilla Popcorn Maker and Sound Cloud.  I'm sure that I will explore more with these programs as I begin to flip my classroom curriculum bit by bit!

National Poem in Your Pocket Day

Many know that April is Poetry Month.  Classrooms  across the country are in the middle of poetry units (except for mine...we save that for May).  But did you know that today is National Poem in Your Pocket Day? 

My students and I are loving this.  We have selected poems to carry in our pockets today to share with five people....any five random people when the opportunity presents itself:  the lunch line; recess; dinner; soccer practice. 

Here is a great resource with some PDF files you can quickly print and share with your students.

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/409 (look for Pocket PDFs for Kids)

As for me, my pocket is quite full today...Revenge of the Lunch Ladies: The Hilarious Book of School Poetry is my selection.  I plan on pulling this out multiple times today to regale any hapless bystander with some humorous lines.