When deciding to pursue Elementary Education with an emphasis on English as a Second Language (ESL), I knew that I wanted to impact the lives of my students. I can see myself as a young student, a child of Filipino immigrant parents, in the students in my future classroom, and it brings me joy to see them grow, especially knowing that I can aid them to my best of my ability. In my ED 424 class, we focused on ways we can utilize technology to create fun and easy ways students can learn online. Learning to teach during a pandemic has been difficult, but this class opened up so many applications that are kid friendly and are up to date with the growing technology. Some of the lessons using technologies I learned in this class are listed below:
This lesson utilizes WordPress as a lesson to teach short and long vowel sounds to both English learners and general education students. This application emphasizes the use of visuals in order to understand vowels and their sounds that correspond with the picture. This was a simple lesson that is easy to follow along at any grade level.
This lesson utilized Jamboard, a new application that is becoming popular within elementary and public schools, for it being almost an elevated Google Drawings. In my classroom, Jamboard would be an application that would be used frequently because of it’s versatility. In my lesson, students would open up Jamboard in the start of every math block and complete several ways to count the daily number given. For example, there are tally marks, blocks, a number line, etc. that students would use as a warm-up for the unit lesson for the day.
This activity uses Google Drawings as a fun way to let student’s creativity run wild. This would be a seasonal activity where the students would have to create their own snowman for display in the classroom. Students are able to choose from a variety of different components that make up a snowman (eyes, carrot nose, scarf, twig arms, etc.) Students are able to showcase their individual styles while also having a blast.
This activity is geared more towards upper level grades such as third to fifth grade. This Morning Check-in utilizes Google forms. This can be used both remotely and in person, where the first thing students do when they log on is fill out this form. This is a perfect way for students to assess their wellbeing and progress in class, as well as for teachers to keep an eye on their students. This allows for a private way students can reach out to their students when obstacles come their way. Teachers are able to keep track of their student’s feeling and mental health that isn’t outwardly expressed.
This activity is also meant for third to fifth graders, as MyMaps or Google Maps are more on the advanced level to use. This activity could be perfect in an ESL classroom where many different culture are put together in one room. This activity allows the students to locate where their family is from and to do some research about their culture and ethnicity. This is a perfect way for students to have a good social studies lesson blended in with some culturally responsive self discovery.
This lessons incorporates videos of different strategies to complete an addition equation. This could be utilized in a remote classroom by giving the students a way to refer back to our lessons, and a way for parents to keep up with the content their child is learning so they could aid them if they need help.
This lesson makes learning colors for Newcomers or new English learners fun and easy. It includes a voiceover for students that have a hard time reading, and could understand better through hearing instead. This book could be used remotely, and through all age levels, for the visuals are relative to any culture or age group.
Audience: This book is created for K-2nd graders that are English Learners or Newcomers.
Purpose: This book supports students learning English but creating an easier way to learn colors.
Visual pictures that correspond with each color allows students to make connections with culturally responsive objects around them
Reading tool embedded in storybook allows students that have a hard time reading the ability to hear the colors enunciated to them
YouTube video in the beginning gives students a fun way to quickly go through the colors before they read on
“What else is the color ____?” Open ended question allows students to be interactive with the book and encourages them to come up with examples themselves
This mini-lesson would be included in a math lesson that talks about different ways and strategies to add single digit numbers, such as using your fingers, number lines, and the dot method.
How can screencast assist you with the lesson or communicate your goal?
Screencast allows easy access for teachers to give visuals in their lesson while also narrating. These videos are easily accessible, and could be sped up or slowed down, depending on the student’s skill level. Parents also have the accessibility to pull up these videos to give their child a refresher when practicing addition problems or finishing up their homework.
This Google site could be used in the future for substitute teachers to have all of their information all in one place. This site includes procedures, student information, agenda, bell schedule, and contact information. This lesson allows for an easier and more confident place a substitute teacher can access answers to their questions. This site is used as a template for a hypothetical classroom, which is why some spaces are blank.
Goal for the Lesson
The goal for this Google site is to better aid substitute teachers just in case general teachers can’t make it to school. Using a Google Site rather than a binder allows for easier access as well as easy manipulation.
Why Google Sites?
Google Sites is ideal to use because it is easy to embed other Google apps such as Google Docs or Google Forms. Google Sites allows other forms of media to be easily accessed as well such as YouTube videos or images. This site is easy to use and can hold a lot of information in a neat way.
The teacher will first pose a survey that students can fill out right away or take home as homework that says the following: Where in the world are your parent(s)/ guardian(s) from?
The teacher will then input all the data into the Google Maps
Once all the data is complied, the students will get to see the map of the world that shows the diversity in the classroom by seeing all the different ethnic groups throughout the students
Once we finish looking at a world view, the teacher will then assign a follow up activity that allows students to elaborate more on their ethnic group and culture
* Some students may have more than 1 country to input and explain about*
* This lesson is to be paired with another lesson to be more in depth*
Goals:
This activity allows students to see how diverse their fellow classmates are
Students learn more about other student’s culture in order to be more accepting
Students will learn more about their own culture and where their family is rooted
Students will get a mini geography lesson on countries and continents
Although this isn’t a lesson per say, I think it is important to check up on our student’s mental health so this form could be used daily. This lesson gets the students into a routine, it allows students to reflect on their mental health and express it feelings, and it allows students to ask the teacher questions about the assignment in a private space.
Good morning kindergartners! Do you wanna build a snowman? Today we are going to be working on Google drawing as a warm up.
Here is the link to click on: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1F6s80GxBrCRDP8yy4cJqeN02VDty2D7TIAO6VZRMZrQ/copy
Instructions:
Click and drag a face, a scarf, and a hat onto the snowman to complete him
What is the snowman saying? Type it into his text bubble!
Each person will have time to explain their snowman and what they’re saying as a whole class!
Goal:
The goal for this little activity is to provide a fun way students are able to use their creativity to make their own snowman. This will be used as an icebreaker activity, where students do this first thing they come to class to start on a good notes. This gets the students excited for the rest of the day, and it allows them to work on their computer skills. This activity is specialized for the winter time/ snow days.
Good morning, kindergarteners! Like every class, we will be doing our daily number jam board! The link below is down below! Remember to go to the page number that is the same as your student number, for example, if you are student number 5, then skip over to find your page on slide number 5! *Show example*
First, the teacher will roll the dice and our daily number will be the number of dots on our dice
We will type out the number together and go through all of the different sections of the page in order to fill out the whole paper
The teacher will then print out each person’s individual daily number and put it into each student’s prospective portfolio
Goals
Get students comfortable with their numbers 1-6
Develop different ways to create a number (Base 10 blocks, number line, counting fingers, tally marks, addition equations, coloring blocks, and addition webs)
Get student’s brains going first thing in the morning
Who would’ve known… technology would be my blessing in disguise. When thinking about technology, it is easy to jump to the negatives: the astigmatism it’s causing to our eyes, our shopping addiction, an unhealthy addiction to Tik Tok trends and brown fashion trends. BUT thinking further, there is one thing that technology helped me with: Developing my self awareness and self love.
In the start of quarantine when Tiger King and whipped coffee was all the craze, we all had no choice but to keep ourselves occupied. I spent a lot of time looking in the mirror and reflecting on my life, and it helped me make a big realization- that I was ready for a change.
I decided that since I wasn’t able to do some cardio at the dance studio anymore, I could try Chloe Ting’s famous “Hourglass Body in 40 Days” program. I spent an hour a day on a yoga mat following her videos, and it kept me occupied. This source of technology really helped me gain my confidence and gain control over my body again. Although after those 40 days, the progress was minimal because my already athletic body wasn’t challenged enough. Nevertheless, this made me fall in love with working out and growing my strength. After this, I started to get into weightlifting and it changed my life.
And I know what you’re probably thinking, how does this relate to technology? Well, if it weren’t for the accessibility of new work out videos paired with social media forcing me to contemplate my body and how much I truly love it. With the goal in mind to better my body, I think I gained something better- a hunger for growth and a new sense of self-confidence. I am able to post my workouts on my social media to hopefully inspire people that were in my position to feel encouraged to work out in order to love themselves even more, and I am even able to post pictures on my Instagram of myself that I wouldn’t have even considered before quarantine. Not a direct causality, but I do give lots of credit to technology for helping me get to where I am today.
An accurate representation of me snowboarding for the first time! I left the mountain with lots of bruises, but also some great memories with my best friend.
February
My first time at Las Vegas to visit my boyfriend for spring break. The Bellagio was a must-see, and a week was not enough to be satisfied with all the flashiness that Vegas entails.
Ahh yes, flashbacks to the time UP told us that we are in a pandemic and gave us 3 days to book a ticket home. A bittersweet feeling of going home to be with family but leaving the college life behind. Little did we know what was in store for us.
April
When we were quarantined at home with a whole island lockdown, we had nothing else to do but work out, watch Lion King, and make whipped coffee. I can recite all of Chloe Ting’s workouts on command, and it’s safe to say that I did not get “ABS IN 2 WEEKS!”.
May
I finished my freshman year of college (not exactly how I wanted it), but definitely a memorable one. I was able to get the grades I wanted and I was able to sleep in again without 5am zoom calls.
June
A dynamic shift in the world when George Floyd’s case happened and the Black Lives Matter protests erupted. All of a sudden, people were all in conflict over human rights and politics, and it will forever be recorded in the history books. (For my defense, this backlash should have been happening way before today instead of staying complacent)
Portland on July 24th- I wish I was there to join this protest but I’m glad that Portland was able to get together even a month later to stand up for what’s right. Most definitely a powerful moment caught on camera, I had to retweet.
— Read Let This Radicalize You (@JoshuaPHilll) July 25, 2020
August
Literally me when realizing that 8am classes are actually 5am HST. I love UP and all, but this gif is me trying to wake up in the morning for a Physical Science class.
September
I had to add this song onto my timeline because when I think about September, I think about repeating this song over and over again. Spotify really said this is my number 1 played song for 2020, and for good reason because Cardi B and Meg Thee Stallion are goddesses and geniuses.
October
Birthday month! This is a picture of what I would want my birthday party to look like if only we weren’t in a global pandemic 🙂 Nonetheless, I was able to spend it with my friends and family (safely), and it was more fun than I expected.
November
November, my favorite month of 2020. I felt like the most stable- I was doing good in school, I had a steady job, and a good gym routine. I was especially proud of my accomplishments made at the gym. I was in the best shape of my life and it was so rewarding.
December
December was a tough month where everything changed. My family got into an accident and I fractured my femur, forcing me to learn how to walk again. Everything can change so fast and so easily, so to say I’m savoring how good 2020 was before December 24th, is an understatement.
