Sara – Ms. Brand’s IT Learning Portfolio

Technology Advocate Presentation

In this assignment, we were tasked with advocating for a Web 2.0 tool of our choosing that is often blocked by school firewalls and persuading the district to allow the use of the tool in the classroom.

District Technology Plan Evaluation

For this assignment, we were tasked with creating a rubric to evaluate a district technology plan and use that rubric to evaluate the technology plan of a particular school district. In this case, we chose to evaluate DeKalb County Public Schools’ district technology plan.

Mini-Lessons

Lesson 1- Needs of Plants Lesson 2- Summarizing Information in Nonfiction Text Lesson 3- Parts of a Plant

Instructional Screencast

Screencast Reflection Task Analysis Script

Mini-Lesson Reflection

My mini lesson I am submitting to my peer reviewer is a 1st grade lesson relating to understanding the needs of plants. The main inquiry element being focused on within this lesson is the appropriate use of technology. Students will be using a virtual simulator to experiment with giving tomato plants different amounts of water,Continue reading “Mini-Lesson Reflection”

Inquiry Based Learning and Mini Lesson Brainstorm

As I begin looking at the mini-lesson examples and criteria, my first concern comes from the age of my students. I teach 1st grade and I worry that what would be considered a “mini lesson” in 1st grade is not in-depth enough for this assignment. Realistically, a science block is less than 45 minutes andContinue reading “Inquiry Based Learning and Mini Lesson Brainstorm”

Transitioning to a Growth Mindset

I can file this week’s readings under “Tough Pills To Swallow”… I do not have a growth mindset. In the article Even Geniuses Work Hard by Carol Dweck, I was struck by how much I saw myself in the descriptions of students with Fixed Mindsets. I was in gifted programs and accelerated classes throughout school,Continue reading “Transitioning to a Growth Mindset”

Book Trailer

Letting Go

Immediately upon reading Grant Wiggins’ article “Great Teaching Means Letting Go,” my thoughts went to my own students, who are 1st graders. 1st graders require lots of help, from tying their shoes, to managing their emotions, to opening their snacks, and that’s not even mentioning academics. Looking through the lens of instructional technology, my thoughtsContinue reading “Letting Go”

Reflective Searching

While completing the Google Challenge, I personally did not have any issues coming up with the answers, but in an attempt to put myself in a student’s shoes, I imagined my 15 year old completing the challenge. I am at an advantage over him because I have background information already that helps me with myContinue reading “Reflective Searching”