Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to create, support, and manage effective digital learning environments.

Elements:

  • Element 3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning - Candidates model and facilitate effective classroom management and collaborative learning strategies to maximize teacher and student use of digital tools and resources.
  • Element 3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources - Candidates effectively manage digital tools and resources within the context of student learning experiences.
  • Element 3.3 Online & Blended Learning - Candidates develop, model, and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend student learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators.
  • Element 3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology - Candidates facilitate the use of adaptive and assistive technologies to support individual student learning needs.
  • Element 3.5 Basic Troubleshooting - Candidates troubleshoot basic software and hardware problems common in digital learning environments.
  • Element 3.6 Selecting and Evaluating Digital Tools & Resources - Candidates collaborate with teachers and administrators to select and evaluate digital tools and resources for accuracy, suitability, and compatibility with the school technology infrastructure.
  • Element 3.7 Communication & Collaboration - Candidates utilize digital communication and collaboration tools to communicate locally and globally with students, parents, peers, and the larger community.

Assignments & the Elements They Support:


  • FRIT 7234- Mini Lessons with Curated Resources: 3.3
  • FRIT 7234- Assessment Ideas: 3.2, 3.6
  • FRIT 7235- Lessons for Each & All: 3.4
  • FRIT 7339- Online Professional Development: 3.1, 3.3, 3.5, 3.7

Artifacts

FRIT 7234 Mini Lesson with Curated Resources

Element: 3.3
Biomes, Mini Lesson Plan
Curated Resources
Click here for direct access to the set of mini lessons.
Reflection
​The curated resources for the biomes mini lesson, in addition to the lesson itself, models element 3.3 online and blended learning. For the assignment, the students were asked to use digital media and environments to communicate and collaborate with their classmates. Including the curated resources for the biomes broadened the learning network the students had access to and extended the student learning beyond the classroom. Although I do not have extended experience in a classroom, I did take courses for my Associate of Science for teacher education specifically towards life science. This is part of why I chose to focus the mini lessons on science topics, the other reason is because I am drawn to life science as well. With that background, developing the lessons to adhere with standards was a satisfying process. I enjoyed thinking about the essential questions and aligning with all of the different factors like content standards, ISTE standards, and including the principles of inquiry based learning. I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment. 

FRIT 7234: Assessment Ideas

Elements: 3.2, 3.6
Reflection
In FRIT 7234 as a class we created a document that was full of different tools that could be used to assess our learners. I contributed three digital tools that would give students a hands-on experience that I planned to use to assess them (3.2). Each of the digital tools had to have a clear purpose and explanation of how it would benefit the students (3.6). This was a collaborative assignment, where each member of the class selected and evaluated digital tools and then provided support as to their use in the classroom. This additionally models element 3.6. After completing this assignment, I have referred back to it regularly. I have found this to be a helpful resource in my work and as I am asked to refer different tools for others. That this was a collaborative assignment; each of my classmates contributed to the final document, broadened my reference base for helpful tools and reduced the amount of research I would normally need to implement or refer something. 

FRIT 7235- Lessons for Each & All

Element: 3.4
Reflection:
Initially this lesson was built as video lesson experience with the assessment largely being a summative evaluation.. However, in light of making the lesson accessible to all students and incorporating UDL, the delivery method was adjusted to include both video and pdf. Any spoken words were captioned, and students  given plenty of time to complete assignments. All supplemental materials were provided and reiterated in a variety of ways. For the instruction, this means that each learner should have a "buffet" of options to choose from to meet any needs.

​Differentiation occurs with the two different types of assessment as well as with the different platforms for accessing the information. By including closed captioning, the lesson is expanded to reach more of the end-users who may have a hearing impairment. Universal Design for Learning is implemented through the multiple ways of engaging the learner (the opening questions or discussion and activation of prior knowledge), Through representing the information in various ways which could be accessible to learners who have technology problems accessing one of the platforms. This is also through having the information available as a PDF document and in video format. UDL is also implemented through the assessment piece, which allows them to take action and demonstrate that they have met the second learning objective. 

UDL is one of the areas where I feel there is most room for improvement in average practices. When working on this assignment I looked at several YouTube videos to further support my understanding of UDL principles. I believe that UDL is largely underrated and look forward to being intentional about incorporating the practices into my work regardless of the setting. 

FRIT 7339- Online Professional Development

Elements: 3.1, 3.3, 3.5, 3.7
Reflection
Online learning courses are a familiar for me. The focus of the online professional development was for the participants to use a LMS. Inside the course, students were expected to demonstrate their ability to use the collaborative learning tool, VoiceThread (3.1,3.7). This allows them to communicate with one another and me as well. The course had a variety of learning materials and types of resources for the learners to use for the engagement, enhancement, or extension of the content presented(3.3). This was something I have continued use of since taking the Information Fluency course. There was lots of troubleshooting, as I was called and sent text messages for help as to why an email didn't appear in an inbox or spam box, it seemed to disappear. Then there was the sweet lady who called me and I walked her through some of the steps as she completed assignments, because her internet connection was too slow to play some of the videos(3.5).  This was an okay experience, I missed being engaged with the learner in a face-to-face period. I am realizing that I want to be able to interact with people face-to-face, but that it does not need to be repetitive or for extended periods of time. Just one point of personal contact, at some point, gives me a sense of being more invested in the effort for the course.