EEND 679: Reflection

What I really enjoyed about this particular course was exploring different platforms for assessing students and practicing Genius Hour with my students.  I tend to stick to things that are familiar, and Google Suite is a program that I am extremely comfortable with. If it weren’t for this course, I do not think that I would have explored outside “my comfort zone” and discovered other tools I could utilize in my classroom. What I liked MOST about GoFormative was that students are able to see the correct answers instantly after submission.  I feel that quick feedback is essential for growth and students truly understanding where they made an error. I also think that when students are able to see an example of correct work versus their incorrect work, it activates their critical thinking skills and they can assess themselves and analyze how they will answer correctly the next time. Additionally, I really enjoyed trying out Genius Hour with my students. I feel that it came at a perfect time for me to launch and test out with my students because it was during PARCC testing.  There was definitely a rocky start, but once students found something they were really interested, all I really had to do is keep them organize and guide them through the process of their research. I am really looking forward to seeing what students have learned, and how they plan on presenting their Genius Hour Projects to their classmates!

I plan on continuing this Technology Specialist Course with St. Francis, as I have discovered many new tools to utilize with my students and ways to really bring the classroom to life, whether it be through Genius Hour, new assessments, and/or a Flipped Classroom approach.  The process and journey thus far has been transformative in my classroom. Additionally, I have deeply respected and appreciated my adjuncts. It is refreshing to learn from other teachers who also come to our cohort sharing their own experiences, trials and tribulations, and their successes.  We are consistently learning from one another and authentically learning from our adjuncts. It has been worth my time and money invested into the program.

Genius Hour

Purpose:  The purpose of Genius Hour was to allow students an opportunity to explore their own self interests that was not dictated by curriculum.  It is structured research that keeps students on track and accountable for their own learning. Students are given a lot of freedom during this time to discover new things that interest them and reach out to others and use different platforms and resources to collect information that helps them understand their questions.  Students originally begin the project with a quality question they want answers to, and as they continue to research, they blog and record what progress they’ve made and what new questions they generated throughout their research.

Challenge:  The challenges that I experienced with their first Genius Hour experience, was having students find things they genuinely have interest in beyond the classroom walls.  Some students continued to find topics that I would deem as “aligned with curriculum” or they would ask to research something we as a class have already investigated. I believe because students are so used to being told what to learn and when to learn it, that when they are given this creative freedom, they genuinely are lost and confused by that directive. With some guidance, students were able to locate more quality topics to research. Some students still need to find something with more depth, however, I believe that as they start to see their classmates interests come together in presentation, students will be less apprehensive about their own genuine likes.

How it was use in the classroom:  This was utilized in my classroom the last few weeks of PARCC testing. Students test for hours in the morning, and trying to teach students curriculum in the afternoon proves to be an uphill battle...but, can we blame them? Their brains are fried from high stake testing.  However, providing them an opportunity to investigate and explore things that genuinely interest them allowed students to take deep interest and accountability in their own learning. There was a bit of a rocky start, but as students continued throughout the week to dedicate time to their own interests, they began to ask me for more time to complete their research. It was really refreshing to hear...especially after a week of exhausting tests!

Reflection & growth:  I really appreciated the examples provided in the USF documents and the examples Mrs. Morgan showed our class. It provided me guidance when manufacturing and creating my own Genius Hour, or as I call mine, “Daly Dedication Hour”.  I feel that as my students continue to experience this “Genius Hour”, that it will only feed their curiosity and that over time their presentations are going to become far more compelling. I also believe that students of all levels are going to be able to bring something to the table that will help enlighten all their classmates.  Unfortunately, districts must align with and follow curriculum, but during static weeks it Genius Hour would be a great tool to implement to ensure students are still learning, even though they may be burnt out from normalcy of curriculum.

GoFormative

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment was to find digital platforms that allowed teachers accessibility and ease to assessing their students. One of the platforms I chose to use as my assessment tool was GoFormative. I chose this because it was something new and I wanted to explore how I could utilize it in my classroom.

Challenges:  I did not find GoFormative to be very challenging overall. It did take me a moment to make sure that I launched it properly with my students, and I did ask a student to see their computer so I could see how it was displayed on their end to have a better understanding of the process and formating of the program. I also found it a bit confusing when I was trying to Assign/Share the assignment because unless I loaded it from my Google Classroom, my students could not access the assessment.

How it was used in the classroom: I used GoFormative in my 5th Grade classroom to assess some of their Ready Gen curriculum skills.  The skill that we have been focusing on has been Cause & Effect and I was able to load a few questions that aligned with the skill and curriculum.  I was also able to provide students with instant feedback on what the “correct” answer was after they submit their answers. I really appreciate this aspect of GoFormative because it shows students instantly whether they got the answers correct or incorrect.

Reflection and growth:  I am glad that I was able to explore beyond using Google Suite with this assignment, and can think of ways to utilize GoFormative in my classroom. What I like best about this platform was that students are able to have instant feedback on their responses. As a student myself, I hate waiting to see whether or not my answers were correct or incorrect. Additionally, students are able to analyze their work if incorrect quickly, and hopefully find and/or understand where their mistake was.