Author: Molly Keegan

Throughout this course, I have gotten to explore many fascinating tech tools that can be implemented in my future classroom. For each of these tools, I created various projects to showcase the tools in action and how I can use them in my future career in education, as you can see throughout my portfolio.

One of my favorite projects I created was my professional development on Book Creator. Book Creator, although at face value seems like it just makes books, is a versatile tool that has man uses. I wanted to share those uses with other educators, so I decided to create a professional development presentation on Book Creator, complete with a deep dive into the interface, an interactive tutorial, and activities.

Book Creator PD Presentation

Another one of my favorite projects was my Travel Budget lesson/project for use with Google My Maps. Google My Maps is a tool where you can create an interactive map complete with travel routes, pins, and so much more. I thought the interface could be used to have students plan a trip and cross cut the assignment with math!

Travel Budget Project

Technology is something that is rapidly changing and evolving and expanding. It will continue to do so long after my students leave the classroom, so I believe it is important that, as their teacher, I provide them with access to new technology, as well as the tools they need to responsibly use technology that currently exists and will exist in the future. It can be easy to stray away from using newer technology in the classroom out of fear, especially technology like ChatGPT and other AI, but that technology will still exist outside of your classroom, and in your students’ future classrooms, so helping them navigate it in a responsible way and giving them a comprehensive overview of what the technology truly is and how it can be used.

Sophia and I have put together a presentation on Google Slides about different uses of Book Creator. This presentation is intended to be presented as a professional development for educators.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZsXpEviOzOpuqL003llPpBisZbsVXwjXDaNilbO-TF4/edit?usp=sharing

The main goal of the presentation is to give educators an overview of what Book Creator is, how to use it at a basic level, extend basic understanding of the interface to include advanced features, introduce the Book Creator resource library, and give example uses of the interface.

In order to provide a solid understanding of the basic features of Book Creators, we will provide a walk-through tutorial of the interface and present an example book about the solar system.

Additionally, we will be exploring the advanced features of Book Creator by exploring an example book that uses Youtube video emeds called How Are You Feeling Today? by Fernanda R. Lameira.

Next, we will introduce and explore the Book Creator resource library to begin thinking about example uses of the interface.

After exploring the different basic and advanced features of Book Creator and exploring the resource library, we will give participants some time to brainstorm different example uses of the interface in their own classrooms across grade levels. Participants will insert their ideas into a collaborative Jamboard.

https://jamboard.google.com/d/1M_Vh8WsHbA1IuBDJofufYT19CBAhYLy_ySoJXgZfpxA/edit?usp=sharing

This link can be kept as a resource for participants to refer back to for inspiration.

Cover photo by Mikołaj on Unsplash.

The project I designed is a travel planning/budgeting project and is ideal for fourth or fifth grade. Students will be tasked to pretend they are a travel agent and plan a multi-day trip given a budget of $1,000 and plan an itinerary via Google My Maps. An important requirement is that the students must explore a culture or cultures outside of their own through planning this imaginary trip. This could be done through sight seeing, activities, dining, etc.

The above is an example map the teacher would show to students to help them gather inspiration. The example has a mix of free and priced activities, as well as different costing dining options. Students have the freedom to include accommodations, routes for a road trip, and more. The goal is for students to explore different cultures, stay within budget, and plan an exciting and fun trip for a potential customer.

Cover photo by Tae Fuller: https://www.pexels.com/photo/golden-gate-bridge-san-francisco-california-1141853/

Lesson Title: Comparing and Contrasting the Treatment of Themes and Topics in Literature from Different Cultures

Grade Level: Fourth Grade

Duration: 5 days (1 hour per day)

Objectives:

• To compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.
• To identify and analyze patterns of events in the selected texts.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of different techniques used to convey themes and messages.
• To develop critical thinking and communication skills through discussions and writing.

Materials:

• A selection of stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures
• Chart paper and markers
• Whiteboards and markers
• Writing paper and pencils

Day 1: Introduction to the Unit

1. Introduction: The teacher will introduce the unit by asking the students about their previous experiences with stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.
2. Brainstorm: The teacher will facilitate a brainstorming session on the similarities and differences between different cultures’ stories, myths, and traditional literature.
3. Objectives Review: The teacher will review the objectives of the unit and explain what the students will learn.

Day 2: Comparing and Contrasting Themes

1. Introduction to the Themes: The teacher will introduce the themes to be explored during the unit (e.g., opposition of good and evil, the quest).
2. Small Group Work: The students will work in small groups to compare and contrast how different cultures treat these themes in their stories, myths, and traditional literature.
3. Whole Class Discussion: The teacher will lead a whole-class discussion to review the students’ findings.

Day 3: Analyzing Patterns of Events

1. Introduction to the Patterns: The teacher will introduce the patterns of events to be explored during the unit (e.g., the quest).
2. Small Group Work: The students will work in small groups to analyze how different cultures use the selected pattern in their stories, myths, and traditional literature.
3. Whole Class Discussion: The teacher will lead a whole-class discussion to review the students’ findings.

Day 4: Evaluating Techniques Used to Convey Themes and Messages

1. Introduction to the Techniques: The teacher will introduce the techniques used to convey themes and messages in stories, myths, and traditional literature.
2. Small Group Work: The students will work in small groups to evaluate the effectiveness of the different techniques used in the selected texts.
3. Whole Class Discussion: The teacher will lead a whole-class discussion to review the students’ findings.

Day 5: Writing and Reflection

1. Writing Activity: The students will write a reflection on what they have learned during the unit, including the similarities and differences in the treatment of themes and patterns of events in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.
2. Sharing and Discussion: The teacher will randomly select a few students to share their reflections with the class. The whole class will engage in a discussion to summarize the key learning from the unit.
3. Assessment: The teacher will assess the students’ understanding of the unit through the writing activity and the participation in the class discussion.

Assessment:

• Writing Activity (40%)
• Class Discussion (30%)
• Small Group Work (20%)
• Group Presentation (10%)

Differentiation:

• Allowing students to work in small groups based on their reading level and ability.
• Providing alternative texts for students who struggle with the selected texts to ensure they can still participate in the discussions and activities.
• Offering visual aids, such as graphic organizers or visual representations of the themes and patterns, to help students understand and analyze the texts.
• Encouraging students to use different modalities for their writing, such as drawing or creating a visual representation of their reflection instead of just writing it out.
• Offering extra support to students who need help with writing, such as providing a writing partner or additional writing resources.
• Allowing students to choose their own texts to compare and contrast, which can be based on their personal interests and cultural background.

This lesson plan was created using Chat GPT. Chat GPT was provided the following prompt, and created this lesson plan as a result: “Create a lesson plan for a unit for a fourth grade class on comparing and contrasting the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures that includes a variety of activities and assessments and takes into account the following paragraph where I provide a brief description on the skills and knowledge of my students.

My students can refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text, determine the theme of a given text, read on-level text with purpose and understanding, produce clear and coherent writing, and actively participate in discussions.”

All photos included were created by Lexica using the following prompt: “Fantasy world filled with open books. Representations of different cultures are coming out of each book.”

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

1. For the first part of the activity, the whole class will be working together to identify the weather conditions of a given image.
2. The teacher will start the activity by asking the students to generate a list of weather terms (cloudy, sunny, snowy, etc.)
3. Next, the teacher will ask students to identify the weather conditions of each image in a set (pictured below).

Image by NatureFriend from Pixabay

Image by Shlomaster from Pixabay

Image by LUM3N from Pixabay

Image by Ioannis Ioannidis from Pixabay

4. After the whole class portion, students will be given a worksheet that has a set of images, similar whole class ones (pictured below).
5. Students will identify the weather conditions of each of the images, then they will write a sentence about the weather in the image (ex. “it is snowy outside”).

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Image by Bogdan Radu from Pixabay

Image by MaBraS from Pixabay

One of my favorite parts of working with kids is the constant supply of funny and entertaining sound bites that float around the classroom setting. I used to work as a swim instructor, and now I work in a preschool classroom, and I have a variety of shadowing experiences across multiple grades; so you can imagine I have many funny quotes stored in my memory. I want to spread the joy and share some of my favorites!

“But Godzilla is cute though…”

“Are you one hundred years old? Hahahaha I know you’re not one hundred! If you were one hundred, you’d be close to dying! You’re probably like forty.” (I was 17)

*One student shares about playing rugby* “Do you play it on a rug?”

“My favorite color is cold!”

*Student writes “really bad always” on a paper describing how their week was*

My personal favorite, however, remains to be topped. My junior year of high school, my best friend, Brooke, and I were co-teaching a private swim lesson to the absolute sweetest kiddo who was eight years old at the time. We were helping him practice his backstroke when, all of a sudden, completely unprompted, he said “You know, sometimes when I get sad, I jump rope. Then I feel better!” Perhaps it was one of those “you had to be there” moments, but every time I scroll past that quote in my notes, I have to take a few minutes to laugh over it.

Teaching is hard and teaching in 2023 is even harder. But silly and innocent remarks from kids make the day to day in the classroom so much better.