EDUC 5313 Week 1 Blog Assignment
I am a busy wife and mother to three teenage daughters. I work full time at our local middle school and have been at our district school since 2012. I never planned to be a parent and never really had a plan for my future or education either. However, after having children and becoming involved in their school, I found a passion for education, and I am now pursuing my masters in curriculum and instruction. I graduated in 2022 with my bachelor's in liberal and applied studies with a focus to teach middle school special education. I was the kid that struggled all through my growing up years. Once God changed my heart and gave me a passion for helping kids who struggle in school, I decided to become a teacher. I have felt a call on my life to change my family’s legacy by being active in church with my kids, promoting education, and encouraging character development to every student I see. My family lives on a farm in Northwest Oklahoma, and I enjoy gardening, home canning, and I even have my own greenhouse. My family spends a lot of time outdoors with campfires, archery, ATV’s, horticulture, and agriculture.
According to ISTE standards for students 1.1 Empowered Learner, students are expected to use technology to demonstrate competency in their learning goals. Furthermore, Oklahoma Academic Standards for science in the 7th grade classroom expect students to be able to describe the cycling of matter and the flow of energy into and out of various ecosystems. Oklahoma Curriculum Framework 7.LS2.3 expects students to describe, organize, and develop models of food webs, and energy flow systems. Utilizing these standards, one way that I would use technology to teach students would to be use the IXL Learning platform in my classroom. IXL is an interactive online learning site geared to the grade level of the students that you are instructing. After I have taught the material through the textbook and using Google Slides on my smartboard for notetaking, I can check for student understanding and comprehension through the IXL 7.X.1-6 lessons. Students can work at their own pace through the online material, and I can assess which students are grasping the technology expectation and the curriculum that has been presented.
I have been in education for a little over 12 years and I wholeheartedly agree with the Triple E Framework in that, “no lesson that integrates technology can be successful without the teacher carefully integrating instructional moves.” Within the engagement category, teacher monitoring is crucial with using technology, especially in the middle school years. Students are so distracted and prone to make poor choices so teacher monitoring is a must. With the IXL component for my lesson, students get Kolb’s enhancement category in that they must actively listen or engage with the content on their screen which is reinforcing the lesson that was already taught. IXL also uses visual representations of learning which also aligns with Kolb’s Triple E Framework.
First of all, thank you so much for answering the call to help kids that are struggling their way through school. As a mom of kids that struggle in their own areas, it's great to see there are caring teachers out there willing to help!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of IXL before, but I'd love to get more information. It looks like it would be a great resource as well a a great use of technology, and we all know how kids are obsessed with technology now! Plus, having the ability to work at their own pace is especially helpful in a classroom setting.
You picked such an important point of focus in the education field to be a part of! Thank you for all that you do in helping students find their passion and motivate them to be successful. Your provide great knowledge and experience because of your background through your schooling years. We are so lucky to have you in the field!
ReplyDeleteI loved that you included that technology is used to enhance the learning and not replace the learning. The direct instruction and model is super important to assist students and allow them to incorporate the learning with technology. IXL sounds like a fantastic resource that could be very valuable and useful to all teachers. You can get quick and easy information about your students understanding on the topic. Keep up the great work!
You picked such an important point of focus in the education field to be a part of! Thank you for all that you do in helping students find their passion and motivate them to be successful. Your provide great knowledge and experience because of your background through your schooling years. We are so lucky to have you in the field!
ReplyDeleteI loved that you included that technology is used to enhance the learning and not replace the learning. The direct instruction and model is super important to assist students and allow them to incorporate the learning with technology. IXL sounds like a fantastic resource that could be very valuable and useful to all teachers. You can get quick and easy information about your students understanding on the topic. Keep up the great work!
(Sorry, I realized my first post was anonymous)
Rachel - I love your blog formatting! I appreciate your vulnerability in the description of yourself, your family, and how you got into education. I "fell into" Special Education, too, and while I took a 6-year break to teach Gen Ed, I got pulled back into Sped and am in year 16 in middle school.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why I thought IXL was specific to math, but that shows my lack of experience with it. I'm sure kids enjoy getting to manipulate food webs and different science cycles with technology! I imagine it's easier to make and fix mistakes when you haven't drawn it all out and have to start over.
My opinion of technology use in the classroom aligns with yours! I don't love to use it all the time, but there are lessons and activities that advance the learning of our students and/or can explain or visualize a topic better than I can! Thanks for your ideas!
Your blog really touched me. I have a son who has struggled his whole life through school. He has had very few teachers that believed in him and I know you are making a world of difference to the students you teach!
ReplyDelete