ISTE Standard 2/3

2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources

3. Model digital age work and learning

b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
KSDE Standard 5. Relationships between people, place, idea, and environments are dynamic.

Introduction

            I have chosen to concentrate my standards entry on my lesson over World War I.  Specifically the role the United States played during the war.  I wanted to get my students involved with how the United States got involved in the war and the reasons they stayed out of the fray for as long as they did.  I had the students look into some of the events, which led to the U.S. entry into the war.  I placed them in the role of an average everyday citizen living in America during WWI.  They were required to look into the information about the war and make a decision on whether or not they believed the United States should be involved in the war and to what level they thought we should be involved.  I will have the students create a blog, which would serve as a daily journal for entries about new information they have found.  The goal is to have them process the new information as it is given to them to form and their own opinion.

Description

            The lesson would begin by having the students create a blog of their own using a site such as blogger.  Each day I would post a new video outlining a new piece of information about events of WWI.  One dy I would discuss the Zimmerman Note, and another day we would look at the sinking of the Lusitania.  The expectation is for students to view the videos prior to entering class the next day.  The blog entries will be written during class time at the beginning of the hour each day. Students will be placed into small groups to share the ideas they have gained from the information presented to them in the at home lesson.  Within their groups, they will go over the new information and discuss the possible implications on the United States role in WWI.  After the discussion is over in the small groups, the class will reconvene to have a general discussion about the impact of the new information.  I will lead this discussion, making sure the class has taken a look at all the angles I was expecting them to see.  Following the class talk, students will write a short blog entry in discussing their feelings about the United States entering the war while acknowledging if any of the new information has swayed them one way or the other.  Students will be graded and assessed on the depth of knowledge shown both in the discussions and the blog entries.

Analysis

            While I was developing the lesson, I thought it would be a great way to introduce a flipped classroom concept to the class.  The setup of the lesson works perfectly for the flipped style learning.  Using technology students will have to bring in other people to help them accomplish their goals.  This will drive a conversation, which gears toward the use of technology in the classroom with their friends, fellow students and even their parents.  I also felt like the flipped classroom would be a good way to let all students learn at a pace, which is appropriate for them.  Giving the students the ability to tailor the lesson to their own needs frees them up to engage more freely in the classroom.  I was also happy with the concept of not only using video lessons to introduce new topics for the students, but using the daily blog entries ensures the students are getting a mix of different technology learning styles.  The lesson is also an opportunity for me as the educator to have daily interaction with students on a one on one basis. With the small group discussion students are expected to be able to explain their thoughts and opinions with members of their peer group.  Making use of the flipped lesson allows for all of these things to happen, which is why I chose this specific lesson to use it on.

Reflection

            As I look at some of the potential downfalls or drawbacks to the lesson as presented, I was drawn to the idea of not all students having access to the videos outside of the classroom.  I have always worried about introducing more technology would open up kids who may not have consistent access to the technology at home, to being left a bit behind.  I do have a plan, which should combat this issue relatively well, and I intend to give students who may not have access outside of school some extra time at the beginning of class to view the videos in class.  Students would be required to let me know prior to the start of the lesson if they feel as if they may need to watch the videos in class.  If the lesson is a success, in the future I would like to add some more challenging aspects to the lesson.  One of the ideas would be to assign roles to students and not make them just everyday citizens.  Student would assume the role of a soldier, or nurse.  There are several different roles which would make the lesson a little more divers for each student.

Creating a Positive Culture

                When it comes to improving the culture in the classroom my school district has done a good job in a couple areas. One of the min focuses, which has worked in my mind, is actually our discipline system.  Students are given a set number of points, which they can “earn” before the consequences are given out.  The scale is the same for every student and the administration does a great job of giving out points on a consistent and fair basis.  It may seem odd to choose a discipline system as something which improves the culture of a school, but I truly believe having a system in place in which all students know they will be held to the same standard is very important.  I have worked in other schools when they did not have a system in place for consistent consequences for the actions of students and no one knows what to expect when a student is sent to the office for issues in the classroom. 

                The great thing about a set discipline standard is everyone knows the consequences beforehand and students know what to expect.  This helps to create a positive culture where students understand expectations of behavior and can rely on the system to punish students fairly who continuously break the rules.  Just like in the classroom, when students understand what is expected of them they are better able to manage their day and can better handle situations as they arise.  This ability leads to students who look forward to coming to school and can enjoy an atmosphere free from distraction.  There is really nothing I would change about the way our administration enforces this policy, they do an overall great job with it.  I hope it continues to help build a positive culture for years to come. 

                As with all schools there are things I wish were done a little bit differently.  Over the past couple of years, we have tried to institute a character education program within the building.  The program focuses on trying to give students a better idea of what it means to be an all-around good person in society.  I know many schools have been pushing these programs over for a while now, and I genuinely believe they serve a good purpose.  The issue I have is within our school we have not done an adequate job bringing the information to students.  In the current set up one teacher is responsible for giving one lesson to each grade level over the course of four weeks.  This process then repeats itself over the course of the semester.  While I like the idea, the execution leaves kids with a sense of dread when they have to take the time out of their seminar to go to the class.  It also puts a lot of pressure on the teacher responsible for the lessons to come up with new and engaging ideas on a regular basis for students who do not really want to be there. 

                I do think the idea of trying to make kids into more well-rounded citizens is a great idea, we as a school should be engaging in the activity across the board.  Leaving the responsibility to one teacher is both unfair and unrealistic.  As a district, we need to come up with a policy, which is taught in every seminar to all grade levels on a consistent basis.  This allows students to know and learn from teachers they are familiar with and they are better able to understand what is expected of them during the class period.  I think this change would have a big impact on improving the culture in the school and allow teachers to have more control over the students in their rooms.

                Finally, I would like to see a more well-rounded policy which addresses rewarding students with praise for things they do well.  In our school, we do a great job of honoring athletes and students who excel in academics, which is wonderful, but I would like to see students be recognized for things they do in the community and on their own time.  We have many students who apply themselves to different tasks, which are not at all school related, and I want to give them praise for the things they do in those arenas.  I believe this will help to get students into the mindset of working on goals outside of the school day, which could positively affect things such as a flipped classroom.  Although the flipped classroom is school related, I think by cultivating a culture in which work outside of school is rewarded, we can help to motivate kids into doing the work needed outside the classroom for a blended learning environment to be successful.