Over the past seven weeks, CEP 811 has afforded me with the opportunity to interact with several new technological devices and programs such as the MaKey MaKey inventor’s kit, SketchUp, Google Hangouts, Scratch, and Mozilla Popcorn Maker. I greatly appreciated how each of these tools forced me out of my comfort zone and inspired me to be creative. I found a way to utilize the maker kit and Scratch to practice transformations of quadratic functions. I found a way to relay the meaning of a flipped classroom through music, images, and video clips in my Mozilla Popcorn Maker remix. I found a way to reimagine my classroom design using SketchUp and share that image with my blog followers. Each of these tools supported my critical thinking and problem solving abilities while simultaneously promoting creativity.
As I reflect on my learning experience, I realize just how important it is for learners to be creative and for us, as educators, to provide valuable feedback on the creative process. As Grant Wiggins shares, “This idea of focusing on impact is actually key to student autonomy, reflected in self-assessment and self-adjustment” (Wiggins, 2012). Students will learn to be independent thinkers when given the opportunity to create under the guidance of an educator. This realization has truly made an impact on me as a teacher. I have always spent countless hours trying to outline and design creative projects. However, I now realize that with the proper tools, sometimes students should also be able to design these creative projects. This is where the idea of maker kits comes into play.
I believe I would use my MaKey MaKey lesson plan in my Algebra 1 Essentials course (a support class). I utilized the inventor’s kit as one way for students to practice translations of quadratic functions. Thus, I give students several modes of learning and demonstrating understanding of a given topic. Moreover, I would like to include an activity where students have to be the designers and come up with a way to utilize the maker kit in conjunction with mathematics topics. Again, CEP 811 has encouraged me to give more independence to my students and allow them to design ways to explore material.
My MaKey MaKey Quadratic Translations Game Board
I think the best way for me to judge the effectiveness of this learning tool is through student engagement. Student engagement and motivation are key to the learning process, particularly with the group of students I work with in the support class. I can take anonymous polls through tools like Poll Everywhere or Socrative in addition to informal observations. Additionally, my lesson plan allows for several ways for students to show that the stations are not only engaging, but support the mastery of concepts.
Another technological adaptation I would be interested in researching further is the idea of Skype field trips, which one of my classmates brought up during our EdCamp experience. I never knew that certain museums and institutions hold virtual field trips. This is a great way to avoid costs and use technology to access information. I have learned that even though Skype was designed simply to help people communicate, educators can repurpose this tool to benefit students.
In summary, I believe I have met the main CEP 811 course objective as outlined in the course syllabus by learning “How to repurpose the world around you, using existing technologies and creating new ones.” I now truly understand the phrase that something is “more than meets the eye”. Using small game pieces and components of Cranium, along with loose wires and a circuit board from my MaKey MaKey kit, I was able to design a game board that could be used in my mathematics classroom. Using my background knowledge of and passion for film, I was able to create a mini MOOC that has the potential to reach a vast audience online. Using my understanding of my students’ needs and both the possibilities for and the limitations of my current learning space, I was able to redesign my classroom using SketchUp.
The fact that I was able to use “existing technologies” to improve my current learning and teaching practices demonstrates that I am growing as a technology integrator. I have been pushed out of my comfort zone and now see the potential in utilizing these tools. All it takes is vision and imagination for any learner to become a maker.
References:
Laird, Gayle. Exploratorium. (2012, February 18). Open MAKE: Time. [photograph]. Retrieved August 11, 2014, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/exploratorium/6775388024
Wiggins, G. (2012, February 3). On assessing for creativity: yes you can, and yes you should. [Web log comment]. Retreived from http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/on-assessing-for-creativity-yes-you-can-and-yes-you-should/
*Note: All images were used under the Creative Commons license
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