Seals Webfolio Reflections
Introduction/Icebreaker Reflection
The virtual icebreaker I chose is a simple way for students to share two basic details about themselves, and to spark some fun by letting them make up a lie about themselves at the same time. Even though this task is for an online class, the teacher needs to create a warm and friendly environment for the students. I included two facts and one falsehood about myself that would hopefully increase students’ interest in me as a teacher, and hopefully, the students’ posts, and responses, will pique their interest and improve their engagement in the course. This activity is also a way to introduce the discussion board and provide an opportunity for the teacher to model appropriate use and allow students to practice those skills. By creating a productive learning community, students will have higher success in the course.
Flipgrid and Media Literacy
The artifact I created using the Flipgrid app is vital to online teaching, as teachers need to be aware of the different programs, platforms, and available applications. The media products are frequently used by students to produce social media, and educator familiarity will help learn about and include media that is appropriate for the online learning environment, as well as appealing to students. Additionally, this product shows how to meet the standard of implementing an effective online assessment that students can use to show mastery of content. Learning new technology and media will help teachers of online content stay connected with students who can be more up to date with the latest media products.
LMS Evaluation
The LMS Evaluation on the Canvas platform is vital, as educators may have to facilitate lessons on multiple platforms. I chose Canvas, as it is the current LMS for my school district and I liked exploring the platform a bit more to increase my comfort level. My video was created from a recorded Zoom meeting, as Flipgrid has a ten-minute limit, and I needed to add more content than that time would allow. The posting of this video on the Weebly site forced me to learn more digital literacy, as I discovered the fifteen-minute video was too large to upload to Canvas. To circumvent the Canvas file size limit, I had to learn how to create a YouTube account and how to upload the video as “Private” and add the link to the Weebly page I created for the LMS Evaluation.
UDL
The artifact for the Universal Design for Learning that I created for this assignment was a basic written essay. While I could have used some of the media discussed in the assignment, such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or Flipgrid, many of the other assignments already implemented digital media, and submitting a written response was one of the viable options in the instructions, which fits my preference and learning/assessment style. Realistically, students in online coursework should be assessed by multiple strategies to allow them to show mastery of various skills and mastery of standards, which is one of the key principles of UDL.
Digital Citizenship
I had mixed feelings about the Digital Citizenship assignment. My principal does not require teachers to create or submit formal lesson plans, so I have not performed this task in over seven years. The lesson I used is vital to online teaching, as it asks students to examine the reliability of web pages as sources of information for academic classwork. Online classes will heavily rely on students being able to complete research and produce credible responses to questions or prompts. Without developing skills to determine the reliability of a source, students will not effectively learn and will believe erroneous data.
Syllabus
The Syllabus is a vital artifact, as it provides students with information necessary to be successful in the course by outlining the teacher expectations of the students, and what the students can expect from the teacher. One of the best practices in education is to empower students. The syllabus gives students the information they need to be successful in the course. My only concern with the syllabus is that the amount of information can be overwhelming. I would not expect any high school student to thoroughly read through the entire document. My current syllabus for World Lit is only one page and is truly an outline. While I understand the need to ensure that students and parents are aware of expectations, I feel much of the information could be abbreviated or linked to other pages for those individuals who would like clarification on the topic.
Introduction/Icebreaker Reflection
The virtual icebreaker I chose is a simple way for students to share two basic details about themselves, and to spark some fun by letting them make up a lie about themselves at the same time. Even though this task is for an online class, the teacher needs to create a warm and friendly environment for the students. I included two facts and one falsehood about myself that would hopefully increase students’ interest in me as a teacher, and hopefully, the students’ posts, and responses, will pique their interest and improve their engagement in the course. This activity is also a way to introduce the discussion board and provide an opportunity for the teacher to model appropriate use and allow students to practice those skills. By creating a productive learning community, students will have higher success in the course.
Flipgrid and Media Literacy
The artifact I created using the Flipgrid app is vital to online teaching, as teachers need to be aware of the different programs, platforms, and available applications. The media products are frequently used by students to produce social media, and educator familiarity will help learn about and include media that is appropriate for the online learning environment, as well as appealing to students. Additionally, this product shows how to meet the standard of implementing an effective online assessment that students can use to show mastery of content. Learning new technology and media will help teachers of online content stay connected with students who can be more up to date with the latest media products.
LMS Evaluation
The LMS Evaluation on the Canvas platform is vital, as educators may have to facilitate lessons on multiple platforms. I chose Canvas, as it is the current LMS for my school district and I liked exploring the platform a bit more to increase my comfort level. My video was created from a recorded Zoom meeting, as Flipgrid has a ten-minute limit, and I needed to add more content than that time would allow. The posting of this video on the Weebly site forced me to learn more digital literacy, as I discovered the fifteen-minute video was too large to upload to Canvas. To circumvent the Canvas file size limit, I had to learn how to create a YouTube account and how to upload the video as “Private” and add the link to the Weebly page I created for the LMS Evaluation.
UDL
The artifact for the Universal Design for Learning that I created for this assignment was a basic written essay. While I could have used some of the media discussed in the assignment, such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or Flipgrid, many of the other assignments already implemented digital media, and submitting a written response was one of the viable options in the instructions, which fits my preference and learning/assessment style. Realistically, students in online coursework should be assessed by multiple strategies to allow them to show mastery of various skills and mastery of standards, which is one of the key principles of UDL.
Digital Citizenship
I had mixed feelings about the Digital Citizenship assignment. My principal does not require teachers to create or submit formal lesson plans, so I have not performed this task in over seven years. The lesson I used is vital to online teaching, as it asks students to examine the reliability of web pages as sources of information for academic classwork. Online classes will heavily rely on students being able to complete research and produce credible responses to questions or prompts. Without developing skills to determine the reliability of a source, students will not effectively learn and will believe erroneous data.
Syllabus
The Syllabus is a vital artifact, as it provides students with information necessary to be successful in the course by outlining the teacher expectations of the students, and what the students can expect from the teacher. One of the best practices in education is to empower students. The syllabus gives students the information they need to be successful in the course. My only concern with the syllabus is that the amount of information can be overwhelming. I would not expect any high school student to thoroughly read through the entire document. My current syllabus for World Lit is only one page and is truly an outline. While I understand the need to ensure that students and parents are aware of expectations, I feel much of the information could be abbreviated or linked to other pages for those individuals who would like clarification on the topic.