The morning began with parking challenges...
a gate quickly closed right in front of my car
with many cars behind me. Yikes! Fortunately
the challenge quickly turned to opportunities as
I entered my first MACUL presentation. Great
company, of course, is a bonus!
"Getting Started with Google" was presented by Jessica P'Simer a Tech Specialist from Honey Creek Community School. Many new tips were shared to complement the google knowledge acquired in EDUC 504. Turn in was a great tip for how students can submit work. The "unsubmit" option was a great tip for jumpy students anxious to hit the "submit" button before editing. I often feel pressured by the real-time sharing in google docs that doesn't allow me to have any personal thoughts... This presentation was beneficial as an assessment of my own google knowledge base. The questions asked by the audience showed the overall google use varied in classrooms.
The adventure continued as I walked into the presentation, "Do You PBL?" presented by Carrie Brunner, Lori Ferrington, and Danielle Roeser, from Romeo Community Schools. https://todaysmeet.com/DoYouPBL
STEM, science, and social studies examples. I was hoping for IB (International Baccalaureate) connection and found many suggestions that connect IB to non-IB classrooms with PBL. The bridge has been found!
Backwards design was suggested in order to incorporate the PBL in a unit. Start small, one per quarter or per unit and have many checkpoints within to keep students on task. Organize students - small or large groups, 3 suggested. Materials: 1:1 Chromebooks had a large impact on being able to transition to PBL.
I really enjoyed the "Egg Drop" project used in the STEM class. Students applied the 6 steps of the design process to a real-life problem. Packaging improvement was the focus of the design with a materials list limitation, "No Parachutes!
" 
My final presentation was "Lightning Talks." Multiple presenters were given five minutes to share their passion. An interesting way to add STEM to a math classroom was by sharing ideas each day. Several great websites were suggested: wired, instructables.com, compoundchem.com, espn sport science, and non-web use the water-bottle-filling water fountains as real-time tracking data. Integrate STEM in the classroom. *I want to do this!*
@campbellartsoup reminded me that the desire to teach roots to a passion and the importance of sharing the passion should always outweigh the routines and checklists. Passion in one can spill over to others; let it flow!
The session ended with beautiful poetry expressing the inability to assess a student's capabilities by the results of standardized tests and letter grades. The complexity of life and human beings cannot be quantified by a test. See the opportunities beyond the test results. Aspiration, inspiration, belief... We can all be successful.
I have always been a little afraid to do PBL as I have no experience with it. However, I also agree that it is a great way to get students to think to the root of the problem. It also is a great way to bring engineering practices in the classroom and with the sciences moving toward NGSS, PBL is a great way to get those practices connected to the standards. I think I would need a lot of practice and PD on how to effectively use PBL in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI also went to the lighting round and really enjoyed the second to last one. "Charlotte's Web" was my favorite book as a child as it was really the first chapter book I read on my own! I really connected to the idea of writing webs for our students. Although I try to stay positive with students, there are a few that just have big eyes in their webs as to tell me to watch out for these students. I think the eyes is more positive than a negative word, but I know that I could put a positive word there instead. Somehow in 5 minutes, that speaker was able to get me to think about how I can apply that to my own life!
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting such a reflective and detailed blog on MACUL. I was unable to go because of a stupid fever, and you talked about 3 expo's that I wanted to go to, especially the lightning round.
I didn't know about the turn in website and the "unsubmit" option. I think most colleges should use that, and even our MAC program. Remember when some of us forgot to put the standards in our INS W1. That "unsubmit" button would have been nice!
And your idea about that passion to share being a part of teaching that you got from the lightning round is amazing! As I think about chemistry and teaching, it makes sense now when I get so excited for a new chapter and I cannot wait to talk about the upcoming material. My mentor teacher always makes fun of me for that!
Thanks again for your awesome post!
Anthony
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of you guys and a detailed report of your experience from the conference. I am sorry the morning started off on such a hectic note. It sounds as though you were able to get a lot out of the conference. I know I really enjoyed it! This unsubmit option is defiantly something that I wish I knew about a long time ago. I myself also find it frustrating that people can see me in real time and feel extra pressure when I type in Google Docs. I always enjoy seeing what other fields are doing and find that I learn the most from them. Don’t get me wrong, I also love collaborating with my German people, but I like the challenge of seeing what other subjects are doing and apply it to a language classroom.
Loved to read about your experience at MACUL and especially loved the ending note, "... the inability to assess a student's capabilities by the results of standardized tests and letter grades. The complexity of life and human beings cannot be quantified by a test. See the opportunities beyond the test results. Aspiration, inspiration, belief " . We as teachers can have such an effect on how students view grades, and how they tie it to learning. Using Google to submit and ( unsubmit ) students work gives students the ability to iteratively learn. I am surprised at the way students are provided with one way street to learning.. "Learn today and now Or face consequences!" This is despite the plethora of technology tools that are available to modern day teachers. After reading related posts on giving students second chance, I am pretty much convinced about the importance of using all these tools to improve students learning and realistic and fair assessment strategies.
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