Micro Lesson #1 Reflection

1. Instructional Decisions/Teaching (InTask Standard # 9): Discuss the implementation process and describe.
• What went well and what didn't go well during the implementation of your lesson?
• During this lesson I feel like the things that went really well included: mastering the objective, teaching the stages of a butterfly, showing the time-lapse video, and playing the game of memory in groups of two. Based upon the assessment at the end of my lesson each of my students mastered the objective with 100%. The activities of teaching the life cycle, watching a time-lapse video, and playing memory were all very successful because they kept the students engaged and eager to learn more. The things that didn’t go well were the read aloud and I ran short on time. I feel like the read aloud did not go as well as it could have because since it was an online read aloud I was not able to engage the students by asking them questions throughout the story. I ran a little short on time simple because my students were not actual 2^nd graders. If I was actually teaching the lesson to 2^nd graders it would have ran longer because the students would have taken longer to answer questions and complete the given activities.
• How well was the alignment to objectives and standards maintained?
• The standards and objectives were very clear throughout the entire lesson. The assessment given at the end of the lesson measured the skills outlined in both the standard and objectives perfectly.
• Describe any modifications made during the implementation of the lesson.
• The only modification I made throughout the implementation of this lesson was just passing around the images of the butterfly life cycle because I did not have easy access to a doc camera. 
2. Mechanics:
• What technologies did I use (for the teacher and the learner)?
• Both the teacher and the students used their computers during this lesson.
• How were the technologies used (by whom and in what manner)?
• The teacher used the computer to show the read aloud video of the book as well as the video of the time-lapse of a butterfly’s life cycle. The student’s used the computer to access an online game where you put the stages of the butterfly’s life cycle in order.
• My lesson was within the correct time frame?
• My lesson was about 30 seconds to a minute short simply because my lesson plan was designed for 2^nd graders who would have needed more think time during the activities.
3. Assessment of Learning (InTask Standard # 6): Refer to Assessing Student Learning; attached in Blog Phase I
• Include at least 2 digital artifacts that demonstrate what you or your students (peers) have created as a result of your lesson.
• JT Slade
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Tori Nelson 
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Describe your students' level of success in achieving the standards and objectives for your lesson based on your assessment.
• Both of my students mastered the skill of knowing the life cycle of a butterfly and being able to illustrate each stage. They both received full points on their rubric and participated fully in all of the activities.
• Describe the level of success you had in teaching the lesson
• How do your individual reflections support this?
1. I feel like my lesson was very successful. However, I should have checked for understanding more often throughout the lesson instead of just assuming that they knew the information since they completed the given activity.
• How do the comments from your classmates support this?
1. The comments from my classmates support this because they gave me all 5s on my survey. The only comment left by one classmate was that I could have done more checks for understanding.
4. What did you learn from designing and teaching this lesson and how will you use this in the creation of future lessons/learning activities.
• I learned that when creating future lessons and learning activities I need to make sure and provide extension activities for those students who finish early. I also learned that I need to check for understanding even if I feel like all of the students are on track. For my next micro lesson I will make sure to incorporate higher level thinking activities to ensure that I take all of the allotted time. I also hope to incorporate more technology within my next micro lesson.

Micro Lesson 1: 2nd Grade Science

Lesson Plan: I. Rationale & II. Overview Reflections: Assessing Prior Knowledge and Planning Instructions:

·      What do the students need to know prior to the lesson?

o   In order to succeed with this lesson students will need to know what a caterpillar is and what a butterfly is. This is because without knowing what these things are the students will not be able to understand that these 2 insects are in fact different. Students also need to have background information on how to use the computer and type in a URL. 

·      How will prior knowledge and experience be assessed?

o   Prior knowledge and experience will be addressed at the very beginning of the lesson by asking students to raise their hand if they have seen a caterpillar and a butterfly before? This will be an informal assessment.

·      How will you use this information in the planning process?

o   This information will be used in the planning process by determining how in detail the teacher needs to go when describing/teaching the life cycle of a butterfly. Some students may need more basic descriptions while others may already know the basic information.

·      Why should the content of this lesson be taught at this grade level?

o   This is a great lesson to be taught at this grade level because it is a part of the science standards for 2^nd grade. This content is also very engaging and interesting for students in 2^nd grade level.

·      How do the objectives that you have for the lesson align with the standards?

o   My objectives for this lesson align perfectly with the standard that I used. They align so well because the standard requires the students to know the life cycle of insects and my objectives require the students to know the life cycle of a butterfly which is a type of insect.

·      When will the lesson be taught in the course of the school year? Why?

o   This lesson can be taught at any time throughout the school year. The reason this lesson can be taught at any time throughout the school year is because it does not require any grade specific prior knowledge. However, it would make most sense to teach this lesson at the same time you teach lesson on the life cycles of other insects, plants, and animals. 

Lesson Plan: III. Implementation Reflection: Designing Instructions:

·      Why are you using the instructional methods you have described?

o   In this lesson the teacher will use a lot of visuals, class discussions and practice to learn the life cycle of a butterfly. The reason I am using these instructional methods is because I feel like they allow the students to access the information no matter what there learning style may be. Also, frequently checking for understanding throughout the lesson will allow the teacher to manage the pace of the lesson based upon the performance of each individual student.

·      How do the instructional methods align with what you know about best practices (think about your methods classes)?

o   These instructional methods allow the students to participate throughout the entire lesson. By allowing the students to participate the students become more engaged and the content becomes more memorable. These instructional methods also allow for lots of repetition of the content, which in return will help the students remember the important information. 

·      How are you engaging students in creative and higher order thinking?

o   I am engaging students in creative and higher order thinking throughout this lesson by asking them to remember the order of the life cycle as well as what each stage represents. The students have to be creative by drawing a visual representation of each stage that they learn about. This requires the students to think deeper about the content instead of just memorizing the words in a given order.

Lesson Plan: IV. Assessment Reflection: Planning Assessment:

·      How does the assessment align with the standards and objectives of this lesson?

o   The assessment for this lesson aligns very nicely with the standard and objectives. The assessment asks the students to recall and visually explain each stage of the life cycle of a butterfly. The objective of this lesson was essentially to be able to order the stages of the life cycle of a butterfly, which is exactly what the assessment asks the students to do.

·      How does the assessment demonstrate that the students have been successful in learning the content?

o   The assessment when evaluated tells the teacher which students know the life cycle of a butterfly and which students do not know the life cycle of a butterfly. In other words the assessment tells the teacher which students did or did not learn the content of the lesson.

·      How does the assessment demonstrate student engagement in higher order thinking?

o   The assessment shows higher level thinking by having the students put the stages of the life cycle of a butterfly in order. It also requires higher level thinking because it requires the students to visualize and draw a picture of each of the 4 stages.

·      How does the assessment demonstrate that the individual student needs were met?

o   Since the assessment is an individual assignment the teacher will be able to assess what each individual student knows. Based upon the students grade on the assessment the teacher will be able to tell which students need to be retaught the lesson.

 

Lesson Plan: V. Materials & Resources Reflection:

·      How does your lesson meet each of the ISTE NET’s Standards?

o   My lesson meets all of the ISTE NET’s Standards because it allows for students to be creative, use technology, and it requires the students to practice digital age citizenship and responsibility.

·      How does your lesson meet Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity?

o   My students are asked to be creative by drawing a picture that represents each of the 4 stages of the life cycle of a butterfly.

·      How does your lesson meet Standard 2: Provide Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessment?

o   Students play a game online. This requires the students to be able to navigate the Internet. The online game is a type of assessment because it cannot be completed until the stages are ordered correctly. A rubric is used to grade the assessment at the end of the lesson.

·      How does your lesson meet Standard 3: Model Digital Age Work & Learning?

o   Students watch the teacher navigate the Internet when showing the videos to the class. The students also watch the teacher use the overhead projector to show images of each stage of the life cycle of a butterfly.

·      How does your lesson meet all four elements of Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Age Citizenship and Responsibility by:

o   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.

§  The videos and pictures shown in class are cited. Students are given a specific URL to link them to the game that they will play. The students will be aware that the teacher did not create the game and that Sheppard Software did.  If students look anything up online they will be expected to cite their information.

o   Addressing the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

§  The online game will be completed in class. This will give all students access to a computer.

o   Promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

§  The student’s will not be communicating or typing anything online. However, they will be made aware of how to act when using technology.

o   Developing and modeling cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

§  My lesson does not have students talking to other students using digital communication. However, I will make sure that the game is appropriate for all cultures in my classroom.

Links:

• Lesson Plan

• Life Cycle of a Butterfly Assessment  

Global Digital Citizenship

 

Class 123 is a user-friendly application for teachers, students, and parents. This app allows for the teacher to communicate easily with their students and the parents of their students, track behavior, and it is equipped with many other useful tools to use within the classroom. Since this application is so easy to use it would be appropriate to use in any classroom that has technology easily available. In order for this app to be used to its fullest potential students and parents would also need to have access to technology outside of the classroom. An environment where technology is accessible to all users would allow for the most successful use of this application because it would provide equitable access to everyone, which is a key part of global digital citizenship. Using this app appropriately within the classroom would also require the teacher to teach the student’s proper netiquette and how to be safe when using the Internet.

The learning environment where the application, Class 123, would not be appropriate would be a classroom without access to technology. In order for this app to be appropriate not only would their have to be computers within the classroom itself, but students and parents would also need to have easy accessibility to technology outside of schools. Without providing this equal accessibility to all students and parents this app would not be as useful because one of its greatest features is providing easy communication between the teacher and his/her class. Another environment where this app would be inappropriate would be if the students and/or parents do not know how to safely use the Internet, do not believe in the use of technology, or are not mature enough to properly use the app and its features without offending their classmates. Since Class 123 allows students and parents to make comments that the entire class has access to an inappropriate learning environment to use this app would be one that has no rules and where the classmates do not respect one another.

Assuring that students and their parents have access to technology at home could modify this application. If this is not possible the app could be modified by providing those students and parents would do not have access to technology with a paper copy of announcements, behavior reports, and other things that they would miss out on without the access to the app. By doing this it would ensure that everyone has access to the same information whether they have technology access or not. This app could also be modified by teaching a lesson to your students about how to properly use the app for the purposes of the class and what consequences will take place if the identified rules are broken.

After learning about global digital citizenship I know a lot more about what needs to be considered when using technology within the classroom. I now know that it is extremely important to make sure that all students have equal accessibility to technology in order to make the usage of the it fair. I also know that it is the responsibility of the teacher to make sure that all students know how to safely use technology, that they know proper netiquette and that they are aware of what is and isn’t socially accessible when using technology. Within this it is important for teachers to create a set of rules for using technology in the classroom. Lastly, I learned that when using technology in the classroom the teacher needs to consider and integrate student’s cultural backgrounds.