Podcast

This week's big assignment involved creating a PodCast for classroom use, relevant to subject, grade level, and content material being taught. We were also expected to cite specific standards which might be met through facilitation of the lesson. Additional requirements for this activity included creating and linking to a PodCast script, lesson plan, and lesson materials.

I believe that this process could be an effective tool for live classroom facilitation by a substitute, or for any number of independent or distance learning class components, which students might be involved (including absenteeism or OSS, to minimize potential for falling behind). The context in which I designed my lesson was a Distance Learning class. The content coverage accessible by this method seems limited only to the capacity of students to gather primary information from a recorded audio source. The lack of two-way communication present within this teaching method limits the extent to which content can be covered and reinforced, but this weakness can be effectively adjusted for with use of other technological applications such as IM, Skype, Email, Discussion Boards, etc.

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I used MS Word to create the supporting documents required for this assignment, then uploaded them to GoogleDocs, and published. These documents can be accessed by clicking on the following links:

1. PodCast Script
2. Twilight Poetry Lesson Plan
3. Hand Out I: Poems (Selected Keats & Yeats)
4. Hand Out II: Lesson Questions
5. Assessment Rubric

I created my PodCast by using Audacity freeware. There were some challenges inherent to the process of downloading and using this application, but ultimately - after hours spent nose deep in tutorials - I was able to lay down and format my voice tracks, as well as additional audio components, before saving the audio file, exporting it to my desktop as an MP3, and uploading the finished product to PodBean.com. My PodCast can be accessed with the player tool embeded within this message (by pressing the play symbol), or by clicking here.

TPACK
Today's assignment is relevant to a wide spectrum of content material and methods for course instruction (CK). The ability to turn a lesson into an internet-based PodCast opens many avenues for in class and out of class instruction (P). Of course, this process also teaches, facilitates, maintains, and showcases technological literacy (T), responsibility, effectiveness, and utility for teachers and students alike.

Relation to standards
The development and use of internet-accessible content material relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding, thinking, planning, and creative processes; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by designing or adapting relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity; #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats; and #4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, by addressing the diverse needs of all learners, using learner-centered strategies that provide equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

Integration
As an English Teacher, I will be required to teach English language and literature. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent activities rely greatly on my ability to develop and create many of the materials present within this assignment. These factors may be improved with the use of content-related tools such as PodCasts, lesson plans, and rubrics; and by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources.

Assessment Forms

Today's assignment involved designing a content quiz with the the use of the 'forms' application of Google Docs. I designed the following quiz around principles of grammar that are covered in secondary-level English classes.




The quiz can also be accessed by clicking here.

TPACK
As discussed in "Presentation Games," teaching English requires the integration of current, historic, and developing linguistic and literary materials, events, topics, and movements into the class (CK). The assessment and evaluative applications of the process used in this assignment are multidimensional and relevant to review, testing, and recreational classroom objectives. Products using this application can additionally be established and maintained alongside my lectures, presentations, and student activities (P), in order to pursue content comprehension, convergence, and application, as well as assess student learning outcomes. The development and online accessibility of my assessment tools (T), can greatly assist me in creating, using, and evaluating instructional methods/materials.

Relation to standards
The process of developing internet accessible assessments relates to several ISTE NETS standards, but primarily meets the vision of #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by providing students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature and evaluate my instructional effectiveness at the same time. The use and incorporation of assessment forms in my instruction will serve to provide critical formative data and inform my instructional methods, which might collaboratively be used to maintain my effectiveness as a teacher.

Assessments Rubistar

Today's assignment involved designing a rubric that might be applied to a student assignment. A rubric is basically a scoring tool that lists the criteria for a piece of work. By using them in class, and providing activity-oriented rubrics to students, a teacher in effect helps his or her students figure out what assignment expectations are, and how projects will be evaluated. I created a rubric around the premise of a Creative Writing Assignment, which can be view below. For this assignment I've employed a four-point grading scale, with 4=A, 3=B, 2=C, 1=D, & 0=F.



After creating my rubric on the Rubistar Website, I downloaded the file as a MS Excel Spreadsheet, and uploaded it to Google Docs. This document can be accessed by clicking here. The rubric can also be accessed at the Rubistar Website by clicking here.

TPACK
Teaching English requires the integration and assessment of instruction of current, historic, and developing linguistic and literary materials, events, topics, and movements into the class (CK). The assessment and evaluative applications of the process used in this assignment are multidimensional and relevant to review, testing, and application, evaluation, and development of authentic assessments (P). The technology-based development and online accessibility of my assessment tools (T), can greatly assist me in creating, using, and evaluating instructional methods/materials for classroom use.

Relation to standards
The process of developing internet accessible assessment rubrics relates to several ISTE NETS standards, but primarily meets the vision of #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by providing students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature and evaluate my instructional effectiveness at the same time. The use and incorporation of digital rubrics in my instruction will serve to provide critical formative data and inform my instructional methods, which might collaboratively be used to maintain my effectiveness as a teacher.

Moving Pictures

This assignment involved using Windows Movie Maker (WMM) to transform a slide show into a web accessible movie. The process was fairly simple: Take an already developed educational slide show (I decided to revisit the Archetypal Hero theme), reformat the slides as individual JPEG files, upload the files to WMM, and start playing around.

There is great potential for this program in the classroom, and a wide range of potential applications. This is a very accessible program, and most computers (with MS Windows platforms) come equipped with WMM already installed. Additionally, there is an extensive margin allowing for creativity in designing movies with this program, which amounts to increased student interest and engagement in lessons involving the tool. Here's my video:



My movie can also be accessed at YouTube by clicking here, or at TeacherTube by clicking here. One of the largest benefits of using WMM, and like programs, is the multiple access points that can be used to reach the end product, as evidenced above. As always, comments are welcome and appreciated.

TPACK
As mentioned in a prior blog post, a teacher might use a Power Point presentation for several reasons over the course of instruction (CK). The ability to turn that presentation into an internet-accessible film however, opens new avenues for creativity and student engagement. This tool could be used to outline assignment specifications and introduce new material, support substitutes, or inject some fun while illustrating the main points of a lesson. An additional significant facet for using moving pictures and other movie-based applications for classroom instruction involves having students work on presentations of their own (P), either individually or collaboratively, fostering direct learning and presentation skills, and encouraging creativity. Of course, this process also teaches, facilitates, maintains, and showcases technological literacy (T), responsibility, effectiveness, and utility for teachers and students alike.

Relation to standards
The development and use of internet-accessible content material relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding, thinking, planning, and creative processes; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities; #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats; and #4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, by advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

Integration
As an English Teacher, I will be required to teach English language and literature. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved with the use of content oriented movie applications, and by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources.