Learning Designer
Coaches model and support educators to design learning experiences and environments to meet the needs and interests of all students.
Embedded Files
EDUCATIONAL MODELS and FRAMEWORKS
SAMR
Substitution | Augmentation | Modification | Redefinition
Integrate technology at different levels! Take a physical worksheet and turn it into something new and engaging. SUBSTITUTE the worksheet for a digital document within Microsoft Word. Or, you can AUGMENT your digital document by providing more enriching material such as educational videos, links to resources, or specific examples on the question being asked.
Maybe you are ready to incorporate technology a little more and want to MODIFY your lesson to include a component where students participate in a digital format by creating graphic organizers, presentations, oral arguments, or collaborate on a project to deepen understanding.
We can also completely transform and REDEFINE the lesson from a typical lecture with a worksheet to using technology to connect with other learners and start experiencing different perspectives. The learning design and outcomes change from a lower level of Bloom's Taxonomy to a higher level through a technological conduit.
Future Ready
Probably the least instructionally driven framework is the idea of being Future Ready. This is more of a vision that drives instruction through the use of technology. Areas of focus include more than just the classroom or a designed lesson or unit. Future Ready means we are ensuring students are prepared to use technology in an active manner outside the walls of the school. The areas of focus have changed since it's inception and are now representative of the following:
Curriculum, instruction, and assessment
Use of space and time
Robust infrastructure
Data and privacy
Community partnerships
Personalized professional learning
Budget and resources
My biggest focus as an ITC will be to incorporate Microsoft 365, use of the Newline interactive whiteboards, and Canvas as these are areas of technology that students will see in college and the career fields. By keeping a Future Ready mindset, I will have plenty of angles to attack a lesson to encourage prolonged learning and understanding of lessons and technology.
UDL
Universal Design for Learning
What I consider to be the most instructional of all these frameworks is Universal Design for Learning, or UDL. UDL can be very effective in engaging individual students and keeping them learning at their own level. This is more than just differentiation though; this is breaking down the barriers in the learning environment and not in the student. By using UDL, you will see increased access to learning by reducing physical, cognitive, intellectual, and organizational barriers.
UDL uses three guiding principles to reach students: ENGAGEMENT(why), REPRESENTATION(what), and ACTION & EXPRESSION (how). Within each principle, students are asked to ACCESS information, BUILD on information, or INTERNALIZE information with corresponding checkpoints to gauge student learning. A graphic organizer can be found below to see exactly how this framework can be applied to student learning.
Not only can you build lesson plans that are engaging and deepen learning, but you can independently provide resources and structure for all students throughout the lesson in varying degrees. With the final goal of creating expert learners, a teacher should be able to see that students are purposeful & motivated through engagement, resourceful & knowledgeable in the content, and strategic & goal-directed through their actions & expression.
TPACK
Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge
For those teachers who are either hesitant, afraid, or maybe a little older and resistant to using certain forms of technology in education, we can use the TPACK model to build lessons. Based on a three-ringed Venn Diagram, each ring represents a specific form of understanding that either the collaborating teacher or I possess. Together, we meet in the middle and provide all three components for an amazing lesson that enhances student learning experiences.
I have created a sample lesson below that shows how the TPACK model can be used to enhance Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking within a Symphonic Band class that is performing mvmt II: Allegretto from Symphony No. 7 by Beethoven at their Spring Concert. In this lesson, the teacher is the prime PEDAGOGICAL and CONTENT KNOWLEDGE holder while I collaborate to bring TECHNOLOGICAL enhancements to the lessons through FlipGrid, Smartmusic, Zoom, and VoiceThread. The teacher is a professional in their musical domain by knowing musical elements, their ensemble, instrumentation, musical and instrument limitations, while I am proficient in the technological applications that students can use to deepen their learning of the music.
TIM
Technology Integration Matrix
Although this framework is not a quick way to incorporate technology into the classroom, it does provide for a long-term solution to keep technology in the classroom. For the hesitant teachers, and alongside the TPACK and/or the SAMR model, technology can become a tool that educators find to be useful and extremely valuable. The Technology Integration Matrix takes the level of technology integration from ENTRY to TRANSFORMATION. 2019 and COVID threw educators into the deep-end of technology by forcing us to teach and learn from our homes. We had to connect with students without being in our normal environment and we are experiencing the effects when technology isn't presented in an orderly manner. TIM allows for an ENTRY, ADOPTION, ADAPTATION, INFUSION, and TRANSFORMATION of technology in the classroom. The Technology Integration Matrix allows for us to take the time we need to build on our foundation like a strong house and to transform our teaching to meet the needs of our digital native learners. In addition to becoming more familiar with technology, students are asked to follow the flow from Entryway to Transformation by being ACTIVE, COLLABORATIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE, AUTHENTIC, and GOAL-DIRECTED in the learning environment.
Triple E
Engagement, Enhancement, Extension
By now, you can see how technology can take a simple lesson and give students additional tools to deepen their learning and have more meaningful learning experiences. The Triple E framework continues in the same trend by improving on current instructional strategies through the use of effective technology integration. Without a good teacher, technology can become a distraction. My job, as the Instruction Technology Coach, is to assist those great teachers connect with students on their level. Triple E bridges the gap between educational research and teaching practices in the classroom.
The 5 'C's of Education
CREATIVE THINKING and CRITICAL THINKING
Just as important as CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVE THINKING plays a huge part in the understanding of knowledge. Working through a problem or figuring out why something does what it does gives us the baseline for creativity. We must first understand how something works before we try to manipulate and improve upon it. Some of the best thinkers stole or copied their first design (looking at you, Mark Zuckerberg!). After applying some critical thinking and deep understanding, a little creativity popped in and something brand new and more valuable was created.
Creative thinking and problem solving go hand in hand. Knowing information is a great step but being able to apply that information to certain scenarios proves a deeper understanding and a more meaningful learning experience. In my lessons, I work to create authentic, active learning experiences that foster student agency, deepen content mastery and allow students to demonstrate their competency. These lessons are meant to be accessible and an active digital learning environment that accommodates learner variability along with meeting the needs and interests of all students.
COMMUNICATION and COLLABORATION
COMMUNICATION and COLLABORATION are key skills to develop. Technology can bring us together, but if we are unsure how to communicate and work together, then we won't see a common goal come to success. In my lesson plans, I will help educators use digital tools to create effective assessments that provide timely feedback and support personalized learning. As I collaborate with the teacher, I will model the use of instructional design principles to create effective digital learning environments. While the collaboration and communication happens on my end, the greater goal is to get students to collaborate and communicate effectively for the end result.
CITIZENSHIP
If you haven't noticed by now, the best way to demonstrate soft skills is through project-based learning. These projects require students to do more than know enough information that they can pass a test by answering multiple choice or true-false questions on a bubble sheet. In fact, it also gives the student a higher sense of accomplishment, pride in their work, and a chance to fail and try again; something many employers care very highly about. Being a strong digital citizen is the best way to round out the whole student. On my next page, you'll see how I incorporate digital citizenship into lessons, professional development, and throughout the building as a means to reach students.
INCORPORATION
Prince William County Public Schools has a wide range of instructional software and learning platforms for students to use. Most resources are accessible through the Office365 log in or through Canvas with the Clever sign in. I've compiled a list of available resources for teachers to use when designing lessons that touch on four categories: Collaboration, Creation & Design, Presentation & Sharing, Researching & Organizing. This is a small pool of resources to use when designing lessons and units and should be just a small part of the total lesson. As an ITC, I am committed to integrating and engaging with instructional technology. providing impactful design practices that yield high levels of participation, motivation, and engagement, and designing accessible and active digital learning environments that ensure equitable access to learning.
PWCS STUDENT INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse