The world of education has seen a lot of change in the last few years, courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic which turned schooling into a digital affair. Teachers and students alike were thrown into the unfamiliar world of Zoom m meetings and new digital tools designed to enrich online learning. This semester has introduced m e to new technological tools I didn’t kn ow existed at the beginning of the year that are n ops regularly used in m y lesson planning and teaching.
This portfolio will walk you through many different types of lessons utilizing these new online tools. Here are a few of my favorites!
Math popcorn party! Students engage with different images to learn about numbers!
What do you know, wonder (and what have you learned)? Students use a Digital KWL chart to track their learning
Teaching kindness, students recognize kindness through an interactive video lesson
Grow, grow, grow butterflies: students use a butterfly webpage to engage with a butterfly growing unit
Follow along with me to learn new and creative ways to engage your students through technology!
Technology has become a part of our everyday lives and has improved the way we work, communicate, and learn. I have learned about so many different apps that I had never heard of/ had no idea how to use! Not only did I learn how to apply these in my future lesson planning, but also have used some of these tools in my day-to-day life (I planned my road trip home for the summer using MyMaps!) which has been awesome! Below I have embedded some of my favorite projects from this semester!
Opinion Writing Using Book Creator
This activity allows for students to become real authors! I designed this lesson for students to practice opinion writing in a way that was exciting and fun and where they could feel like real writers! I created an example of what one could look like where I shared my opinion stating that I think I deserve a dog! This was super fun to create and I loved learning how to use this app.
I loved making these forms on Google Drive that provide students with a chance to get to know their teacher! I think that this would be so fun to do in the very beginning of the year as an ice breaker. I also would love to create a Google Form for students to fill out that would allow teachers to get to know their students as well!
Explore the Pony Express Trail Using Google MyMaps
I really enjoyed making this project on Google MyMaps and learning how to use this software. I think that this is a really great tool to use when learning about historical events, as students can jump right into where everything took place! I liked mapping out the trail and I think that students would enjoy virtually following it and doing research about it.
For this project, Lannie Hisashima and I created a GoogleSite with information about the different planets in our solar system. This was a great tool to use because I was able to stay organized and show information in a way that made a lot of sense! I think that this is something that I will definitely use in my future classroom for a lot of different topics! I like the idea of students having a place where they can refer to the information we learned about.
I really enjoyed exploring so many different types of apps online and putting them to use. I feel so much more confident using these sites and also diving into other new websites! Technology is such an important tool in the classroom and I am excited to embed it into my teaching!
When I started this semester, I knew little about technology and felt poorly about my abilities to navigate through these resources. Now that we’re nearing the end of the semester, I feel much more confident in the skills that I have in order to create and teach a lesson in a clear and creative way. Truthfully, I wanted to engage my students with technology ini the classroom but as far as I figured I’d do that was on a smart board. When I was in school, the ability to write on our smart board with the tech pens, was an absolute privilege and I thought that was probably as much as I’d do. After this semester, I’m very excited to get into the classroom and engage my students with materials through technology. Here are some of the projects I’ve created over the semester that I’m pretty proud of.
1. Teaching with Images – This lesson was done early on in the semester and was a only the beginning of what I would be learning. It isn’t a complex post but it was fun to create and good insight into what I could do.
2. Teaching with Jamboard – This lesson is a Jamboard for students to fill out. It’s a circle map that students will complete with an animal of their choosing in the middle. On Jamboard, students can add text or pictures and it doesn’t take a lot to figure out.
3. Teaching with Ed Puzzle – This lesson was probably one of the most fun ones I created because it takes a youtube video and adds interactive questions while the students watch. I organized it so students will know if they got the answer right or wrong as soon as they fill it out and if they don’t get the answer correctly, they have the opportunity to watch the video again. This can be so beneficial because assigning youtube videos for homework is hard to monitor for completion.
4. Teaching with Google Forms – This lesson was a simple about me form and asks questions about who I am as a person and a teacher as well as my expectations of the students. This will be super beneficial in the future because it gives students the opportunity to get their answers back asap, it allows the teacher to easily write the questions and the style of them, and it’s easy for the teacher to keep organized when all the students turn it in.
5. Teaching with Google Sites – This is my second time using google sites – the first time was in partners and we did a lesson on magnets. The reason why I like google sites is because it is an easy to organize a lot of information. I plan on using this in the future by uploading my whole unit to a google site and allowing my students to explore it as we go through. Something that is beneficial about this is students will have access to the information early. They can look through all the pages of the google site and see how each lesson is connected with one another, they will also be able to access the material outside of the class which will be nice if they want to share information and material they learned in class. I also think that it’s fairly easy to use and therefore not a huge hassle to create.
Throughout high school and during my first year and a half of college I despised the idea of students using technology within the classroom on a regular basis. I was under the impression that technology took away the creativity and imagination that students should have, while at school. While I still prefer more interactive and hands-on types of lessons, I have come to the realization over the course of this class that there are numerous ways to engage technology within lessons that still allow students to showcase their knowledge, creativity, and individuality. Not only that, but there are many ways that I will now be able to implement technological resources into my own classroom that will make the learning fun and interactive for the students. Since the beginning of COVID-19, schools have needed to adjust to online platforms. While we are back to (semi) “normalcy” in the classroom setting, it is important to have these resources and it has made teachers more well rounded to keep up with the times. Instead of dreading the implementation of technology in my future classroom, I have come to embrace it and use it whenever I can. Over the course of this class, I have learned many new ways to implement technology in my future classroom. Below are a few of the lessons that I have been able to construct over the semester.
Whether it is to automatically grade assessments, create a choose your own adventure quiz, creating surveys, or anything in between, Google Forms is just the tool. I have used Google Forms briefly in the past; however, through this assignment, I was able to create a space assessment and an interactive choose your own adventure quiz! This lesson displays how I used Google Forms for a first grade science lesson regarding “Earth’s Place in Space.” The assessment gives the students automatic feedback for if they got the answer right or wrong, which is very helpful. Similarly, students can explore different routes in the choose your own adventure quiz to get different answers/adventures! Google Forms will be a helpful tool to use more in the future.
This lesson was used as an example of how someone could use Adobe Express in the future. In my future classroom, I would love to have students create their own poem or website that showcases their “home” much like this one. Similarly, this is a unique poem that I could show my students so they have a better understanding of who I am as a person. Many times students forget that teachers are real people, too. By allowing students to see a more vulnerable side of myself, through the form of a poem, they would have a better grasp of who I am. This lesson could also be adapted for many different projects such as projects about different habitats, the plant life cycle, etc.
I created a book called “All about Digraphs!” which discusses the different digraphs “sh,” “ph,” “th,” and “ch” and their personality traits. Book Creator allows the designer to do voiceovers, which would be helpful for reading to the students, and in my case, recording the sounds that the digraphs make. This particular book gives students ample opportunities to practice digraphs as each digraph page primarily uses words with the respective digraph. This would be a fun and engaging way to help primary students practice reading and understanding digraphs. I would love to use Book Creator in the future as well because I feel as though students would enjoy books specifically made by their teacher. This would also be fun to have students create their own books for a project!
This collaborative lesson was an exciting one. Marlee and I created a website that would be useful to share with parents and students in the class. The website showcased me as the teacher and described my hobbies and interests. This also serves as an example of what the students page on the website might look like. The website also includes multiple resources regarding where the school is, classroom materials, classroom technology, etc. Google Sites can be used to create subject based lessons or classroom materials, such as mine! I look forward to creating more sites in the future.
Conclusion
Overall, I have come to the realization of how helpful technology is within the classroom setting. I plan to incorporate all of these tools into my own classroom in the future and I look forward to having my students make projects on these platforms, as well. Instead of discouraging technology in the classroom, there are so many ways that it can be useful, creative, and interactive, all at the same time.
I would say that I am at the average skill level when it comes to technology. I can figure out where the nearest gas station is on Google and I can type an essay using Microsoft Word. This semester has opened my eyes to a whole world of technological tools that I did not know existed and assist me so much in creating fun and effective lessons. The WordPress posts I have featured below are just a few posts that I am the most proud of, found the most useful, and will definitely be taking with me into my future teaching journey.
Books are a huge part in any classroom, discovering this online tool where not only I, but my future students as well, can write and publish our own stories. I am very proud of this lesson because I was able to take a concrete topic (in this case, the planets), and give it life to teach it in a far more fun and engaging way rather than the typical lecture and test. This lesson displays the way I would like to take content and turn it on its head to better interest my future students.
I had previous Jamboard experience from classes here at the University of Portland, but this lesson contains the first one I have ever made myself. Taking a blank slate and turning it into a learning tool is probably one of the most intimidating things ever, yet I was able to do it. I loved how this Jamboard turned out as I was able to use it as both a testing tool, as well as an answer key. This lesson allows students to do some independent work and self-correct if they need to.
The technology we learned about this semester was very good for creating lessons for students, but I wanted to figure out how to use some of them to build community in and out of the class. I was glad to be able to create this hypothetical scenario of bringing students on a field trip and sharing this map with parents so that they are informed of everything that is going on and when. Technology can be a huge help in building community, especially in this day and age where everyone is so busy with their crazy schedules and a quick email with information is all that we can do.
This lesson was a bit more simple, I recorded myself reading a book. Yup, that’s it! I included this lesson because I think it is so important to understand that using technology does not have to be complicated and flashy, and that tools can be simple and still have the same effect on student learning. A simple video like this can save teachers the time and effort during class, other teachers at different schools or even different states, but can also be available to parents and families after class, all over the world.
This semester I have learned and gained so much knowledge on different ways a teacher can use technology in the classroom. This class helped me create a subtle and seamless way to use technology with lessons and base lessons around technology. I have seen firsthand how easy it is to develop lessons that use technology. I am excited to see how I can use it in the classroom next year.
This post started me off with learning how to use simple elements of EdTech. Without this lesson, I do not think I would have such confidence in my portfolio that I feel I have now. Having time to transition into such a strange approach to a class was much needed. I am quite a hands-on learner myself, so creating said post helped me build up my skills with the application in the end.
From there I started to create more technical posts like…
Here we really started to strategize on how we can use technology as activities within lessons. With this lesson, students would be asked to create a slide on a Google Jamboard and develop ideas that they could use to write a persuasive letter/essay later on in the unit. This would also be an amazing way for students to easily provide peer feedback on their ideas and build their own inspirations from other students’ ideas if all is accessible on one Jamboard.
What is great about this post was the fact each group was able to explore more technological tools that the internet can provide. For example, PBS Learning Media provided Kaelyn and me with a great online lesson! Here students can interact all in one place from the beginning, middle, and end of the lesson. It also was great because it provided which state standards it met so you knew exactly how applicable this lesson is to your overall school year.
After looking at the lifecycle of butterflies, I made a final post on…
I felt like I built a strong and engaging lesson on learning about cultural dishes in one’s country of origin. It was also nice to show how a teacher can incorporate multiple different technological applications to help build a lesson. Having the brainstorming and finishing with a presentable book for other students to read and learn from rather than the average PowerPoint presentation.
The Approach to Teaching Tech:
For myself, technology should be more of a helping hand rather than the end-all, be-all of teaching. I have enjoyed finding subtle ways to implement technology into the classroom rather than making whole lessons around a single product like Adobe, Google Drive, or BookCreator. Having small things here and there, like an exit ticket using Google Forms or a brainstorm that is worked on Google Jamboard. While it was interesting to find a lesson like that of the Life Cycle of the Butterfly, it does not feel natural to use in an in-person classroom setting.
What Have I Learned:
I have learned so much from this course. Most importantly, I have found my method of involving technology in my future classroom. Because of this signature way, I have been able to see how accessible it can be for students and peers alike. With technology, more group work can be done asynchronously and feedback can be almost immediate. Technology can support many students, they are able to take lessons at their own speed and be creative in their approach to growing their understanding.
Technology is something that pervades nearly every part of our lives, including the realm of education. This statement has never been more true after the pandemic hit, forcing schools to take a near completely online format for over a year. It was a tough experience for teachers, but it was fascinating to discover all the digital tools that made the transition easier. A lot of these tools are still being used in in-person classrooms because they have the ability to enhance the learning experience whether it be in an online or in-person format. I am grateful that I had the opportunity in this course to learn about these tools and practice applying them to lessons and activities. Here are a few of my favorite posts from WordPress I made using these tools.
Figurative Language Lesson using Jamboard
In this lesson, I had students use Jamboard as a platform to post their own examples of figurative language based on the images on each slide. I enjoyed the way every student can give their input (it helps that it is done anonymously so no one feels ashamed if they’re not confident with their answers, although this does make it hard to attach accountability to individual students) and can see the examples of their peers. Plus, it was really easy to set up!
In this lesson, Kate Marshall and I created a website that students would explore and use to fill out a scavenger hunt worksheet. I really enjoyed this activity because it allows students to work at their pace and offers them a great resource they can look back on whenever they need to. I also enjoyed how the activity encourages students to focus on specific details about all the different planets in a fun way without shoving a bunch of random facts into their brains.
This post definitely took me the longest out of all of the posts I’ve made. But the hard work paid off because I’m really proud of it looking back! I like how the lesson can be done by students whenever and wherever because the instructions are all there in the post and directed toward students. Similar to what I said earlier, this online lesson allows kids to go at their own pace and isn’t too demanding or complicated for them to do independently.
After learning and applying so many skills and digital tools throughout this course, I feel much more confident heading into the classroom in a couple of years. However, there’s always more to learn about, and I think another important thing that this course has offered is openness to trying new things. Some tools aren’t that easy to learn and we as educators need to be receptive and willing to put in the work to learn how to use them in the classroom.
Thank you so much for checking out my portfolio! I hope you enjoy my posts.
During this last semester, I have learned so many new ways to incorporate technology into my teaching. It has helped me with being more creative in the way I come up with new lesson ideas for my future students. This ED 424 class is such a valuable course in relation to my future as an educator, and has even helped me grow with personal use of technology as well! Looking back on this year, my view on technology in the classroom has changed quite a bit. I now see how valuable technology truly is in the classroom and the many benefits it can have on our students. Below are just some of the ways I have integrated technology into my teaching practice!
Use WordPress to create a fun Math activity!
A fun lesson for Kindergarten Math. Learn about numbers and practice counting by looking at different pictures!
Here are some of my favorite posts that I created over the semester! Technology in the classroom is important to have because with these new generations, kids are so good at using their IPads, IPhones, and much more. Kids are so creative and with these different technology resources they are able to apply their creativity and knowledge through their work! Now that I have been introduced to so many great technology resources, I can’t wait to incorporate them into my future classroom!
Here is my first post of the semester! I learned how to use gifs, embed youtube/tiktok videos, and images! This post explains why I would like to become a teacher and who my inspiration is!
In this post, I used Jamboard which is a great technology resource that you may want to consider using in your own classroom. This tool is easy to use and allows students to collaborate together!
This post showcases the many ways we can use google forms! You can use this tool as a self-graded quiz to see where your students are at with the materials they have been learning in class! There is also the option to make a branching form that I never knew existed! Check it out!
In this post, I used an Edpuzzle video, I was able to choose what grade and content I wanted to focus on and the best part is there are certain places in the video that pauses to ask the viewer a questioner to make sure they understand the concept! I will definitely be using this when I become a future educator!
We explored MyMaps and I was able to create a map of the school that I attended back on Oahu! This tool can work as a campus tour or even places you have traveled around the world!
Hailey and I created a google site on identifying our emotions! Students would have access to all of the content on the website and be able to have multiple resources available to them!
This was my last post for the semester and the one I am most proud of! I used BookCreator to create a book of my own that introduces the topic of weather! This tool was great and easy to use as I was able to come up with my own story that my students would understand. Photo by Howie R on Unsplash
As I mentioned in one of my early posts this semester, I have a love/hate relationship with technology. But the thing is, educational technology is an inevitable part of being a 21st century teacher. That means I need to be adaptable, open-minded, and willing to use technology in my classroom. This semester, I have learned so much about different tools I can weave into my classroom. I’ve practiced using these tools while also seeing ideas from my fellow future teachers. I have grown more open to the idea of incorporating new technology in the classroom because I now know how capable I am of learning new technologies even if the learning curve might scare me at first. Technology not only can, but should be incorporated in the classroom!
Whenever anyone asks what my ideal grade to teach is, I say kindergarten through 2nd grade. More specifically, I have grown to love 1st graders and this is the age I have requested for student teaching next year. This whole semester, I have been working with 1st graders at Alameda Elementary for my field experience and it has been wonderful watching them grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Therefore, I made it a point to create many lessons with a 1st grade lens, which are featured below. Hopefully I’ll be placed in a 1st grade classroom next year and can try out some of these technology-infused lessons!
