ETC 450 - Final Reflection

This semester I was given the opportunity to learn many things and explore different technologies and materials that will be very useful to me as a future teacher. Before taking ETC 450, I had a very broad idea about what assessing prior knowledge was. I thought that it had to be in the form of a pre-test or discussion. ETC 450 opened my eyes to many new and different ways to assess prior knowledge. I was also shown how important assessing prior knowledge is to designing, planning and teaching lessons. A new way to assess prior knowledge that I learned and found to be most beneficial was blogging. Having the students blog about what they already know about a subject gives the teacher a direct idea of what the students know. Blogging gives students the opportunity to search their brains for what they can remember and write it down. This gives teachers adequate information about what their students already know, what they can build off of in their new lessons and what they need to teach the students.


Prior to designing technology lessons I would always look up a standard and then create a lesson to go with it. ETC 450 allowed me to see that there are a vast amount of activities and lessons that incorporate technologies that can tie into many different standards. I had an awesome experience planning these lessons because not only was I forced to step out of the box and discover new activities and learn how to use new technologies, but I was able to actually teach things that I was interested in and find standards that were incorporated in it. Exploring that new technologies that I used in my lessons taught me new ways to check for understanding and keep students engaged, as well as meeting objectives and goals. Integrating technology into lessons was a new concept that taught me how to effectively plan my instruction for the benefit of myself and the students.

Creating these lessons gave me a lot of incite to what modifications I may possibly have to make to lessons to target students individual needs. In all of my lessons there was always at least one student who was slower than their peers. It was my job as the teacher to modify the lessons right then and there to meet that student’s individual needs and keep them from falling behind in the lesson. This semester I was able to see that technology offers a countless amount of ideas and activities that can be modified and adjusted to meet students’ individual needs and encourage them to use higher order thinking skills.

Planning assessments for my lessons was my favorite thing to do. Prior to this course I had it stuck in my head those assessments had to be physically documents and boring. In having to integrate technology into lessons plans I was able to discover fun, interactive and engaging activities that could be used to assess my students’ knowledge. In one of my lessons I used an interactive assessment on a smartboard document. I created an interactive worksheet in which students had to move the different planets to place them in order, and then match the planets to their corresponding facts, by moving them as well. This assessment kept the students engaged, gave them a different form of assessment, used visuals to help them understand and could be turned in and evaluated by the teacher. Before taking this class I would have never thought to use technologies to assess my students’ learning.

One if the most important things that I learned by integrating technology into lessons is the instant modifications I may have to make. There were plenty of times where the technologies had glitches or students were unable to access work. These incidents kept me on my toes and caused me to take quick action so that my lessons were not ruined. Prior to teaching these lessons I never had to do anything like that. It gave me a realistic experience that I could now plan for in the future. I was also able to see how vast technology is. There are countless amounts of activities and programs that can be used to modify lessons and create goals that align with the chosen standards. Technology gives teachers so many different options when making instructional decisions.


The Google forms in which our peers evaluated our lessons were so helpful. I have never had my teaching evaluated by others prior to taking this course. Having the comments by my peers about each lesson was extremely helpful for me. It showed me what changes I would need make prior to teaching those lessons again or showed me all of the positive qualities that my lessons possessed. I was able to see that majority of my lessons were successful which was very motivating to hear. It made me feel like my lessons were beneficial and would actually be successful when teaching actual students of the specific grade level. The comments also allowed me to see that my peers met the learning goals of my lessons. I believe that feedback is the best tool for learning so having an assessment of learning such as Google forms was a great idea.


ETC 450 introduced me to a cornucopia of new technologies, lessons and ideas. I was able to step out of my comfort zone and learn and experience things that I never have before. This course was rich in knowledge and has truly inspired me to use technology integration in my future lesson plans. I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to experience ETC 450 this year.

Phase 2 – Lesson 3- Assessment of Learning

The students learning was assessed by what they wrote in their blogs as well as the web activities that they participated in. I was able to briefly look at their blog posts as well as see if they were able to complete their online web activities. Also the final web activity in which they create a recipe card would normally be printed out and turned in to be assessed. However, I was able to see that my lesson was successful because they were able to create the recipe card and if they didn’t create a recipe card it would have shown me otherwise. My classmates comments were all very positive. They recognized that I was constantly checking for understanding and they thought all of my activities were interactive, helpful and educational.

Phase 2-Lesson 3- Instructional Decisions/Teaching

I learned a variety of different things from teaching this lesson to my peers. I realized that some students may take more time completing activities than their classmates; therefore, if I were to teach this lesson again I would have to plan other activities to keep those students busy while their classmates were finishing up their work. I had to meet individual needs when one student was slower than the others. I did this by having the other students do the web activity for a second time while guiding the slower student through the activity. The goals and objectives were met because the web activities that the students participated in interactively taught the students healthy behaviors and how they affect one’s health. The final web activity also made the students recall all of the information that was taught throughout the lesson, and apply it to complete the activity. If the students were able to successfully complete the web activities, I was able to see that the learning objectives and goals were met.

Phase1-Lesson 3-Planning Assessment

The students are assessed constantly throughout this lesson. They are assessed in the beginning of the lesson for prior knowledge, by the information they provide in their blog. Also, the web activity before the lesson requires the student to have a certain amount of prior knowledge to complete the lesson, so they are assessed during that as well. During the lesson the students are assessed for comprehension by the question sheet they fill out after reading the interactive article. After the lesson the students are asked to write about the healthy behaviors they learned from the lesson in their blog. Their blog will be assessed as well as the final web activity they participate in at the end of the lesson.

Phase1- Lesson 3-Designing Instruction

The teacher will begin the lesson by having the students write in the health blog. The students will blog about what they remember from the previous lesson on the food pyramid. The students will also blog about behaviors they already know of to keep themselves healthy. The teacher will then lead a discussion about what the students wrote on their blogs. After the discussion the students will engage in an online activity that will recall some healthy foods to their memory. Once the students have completed their web activity, the teacher will present a PowerPoint presentation on healthy behaviors. During the presentation a youtube video is shown. After the PowerPoint presentation the teacher will hold another discussion about what the students learned. The students will then read and interactive article about germs. After the students have read the article they will answer follow up questions. After the students answer the follow up questions they will participate in a web activity about oral health. A small discussion will be held after they complete their activity. The students will then blog about what they have learned in their lesson. Once they have completed their blog, the students will participate in a final web activity about combining foods and nutritional health properties. Once the web activity is completed they will print out the results and turn it into their teacher for evaluation. This lesson is interactive and can meet many individual needs. The hands on activities will hold learners attention and the web activities can be adjusted into hard, medium and easy levels. Also, there are many visuals used as well as a video. This would help interpret the information for those who may not be able to understand it inside of text.

Phase 1-Lesson-3- Plans Instruction

The goals for the lesson are SWBAT: Recognize that healthy behaviors contribute to personal health, SWBAT: Use their prior knowledge of the food pyramid and apply it to creating healthy meal options and SWBAT: Recall healthy behaviors that contribute to personal health. The standard for this lesson is Standard 1: Comprehension of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Concepts Concept 1: Relationship between Health Behaviors and Health. The goals match up with the standards because they are requiring students to learn about and understand healthy behaviors and how the contribute to one’s health.

Phase 1-Lesson 3-Assessing Prior Knowledge

Prior knowledge is assessed in the very beginning of the lesson. The teacher begins the lesson by having the students write in their “health blog”. The students will blog about what they remember from the previous lesson on the food pyramid. The students will also blog about behaviors they already know of to keep themselves healthy. Having the students do this prior to the lesson will allow the teacher to see how much the students remember and what the teacher needs to refresh them on before giving them new information. This is beneficial for the teacher because he or she can adequately plan and teach the lesson by building off of what they already know.

Digital Artifacts for Lesson 3

Etiquette for Social Media

I think the rules for online etiquette listed on the 11 rules for social media are perfect. I would have never guessed that someone would create rules of social media use but I think it is important that they did. Teachers are going to have to teach their students how to properly use technologies. These rules create guidelines for the students so they are aware of how to appropriately use social media and online technologies. A teacher could rewrite some of these rules to give their students a better understanding what they mean, but for the most part I believe that they easy to follow, and encourage the safe and appropriate use of social media. I don’t think that I would necessarily use the first rule in my class room, “Give more than you receive”. If I was having my student use blogs for instance I would want them to “give” as much as they are willing to or even able to. Because these blogs would be for peer communication they would “receive” enough information back that would be useful to them with our having to give anymore then they are willing to. Also the second and fourth rule deal a lot with not talking “trash” to those online or “sabotaging” others, I think these are great rules but for classroom use maybe unnecessary. If students are using social media at school they are most likely going to be monitored and working on something specific so they will not have time to do these things. This also could closely relate to cyberbullying, which I believe students should receive a lesson on prior to technology use any way. Two rules that I would have my students definitely follow would be “Respect the Community and Listen to Others”. My students need to use the social etiquette that they use toward their peers in person, online. They need to respect those online because in a classroom setting they will most likely be their peers. They need to treat others online just as they want to be treated. Also, they need to listen to others. If it is assigned for students to give and receive responses on their blog from their peers they need to be able to take what their peers are saying into consideration. They need to understand that their peers aren’t trying to harm them or make them feel bad, but they are giving them useful and resourceful information that they can learn from.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is defined as willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices ( Hinduja, Patchin pg 1). This refers to cases in which adolescents and sometimes even adults use technologies to humiliate, hurt or damage a person’s feelings or reputation. Technology is normally used for a resource to either look up or inform people of information. Cyberbullies abuse technology to spread rumors about their peers or even communicate harmful words to them in the public eye. Cyberbullying can affect students in a number of different ways. Because cyberbullying is mostly displayed to a number of people and causes humiliation and sometimes depression for the victim. It can cause low self-esteem for victims and even depression, sometimes resulting in the student becoming withdrawn and distracted from school work. Also, teaching students to use technology may be unknowingly teaching them how to use the technologies to cyberbully. Also, if teachers give the students time to engage in online activities, they may use that time and internet access to cyberbully their peers. Therefore, during online activities students need to be closely monitored to ensure they are using the technologies appropriately. As a teacher something I may do to protect my students from cyberbullying, is set up a technology contract. This contract would have to be signed by both the student and their parents. It would address all uses of technology including cell phones, computers and the internet. The contract would outline appropriate uses of technology and inappropriate. The contract would also have the consequences for inappropriate technology use (cyberbullying being one of them). Having the parents sign the contract will inform them of the possible consequences their child may face if using technology inappropriately as well as keep them aware of the possibilities of them abusing technology, so hopefully they will monitor their children at home as well. Also, in the beginning of the year I could teach a mini-lesson on what bullying is, the affects bullying has and what to do if you are bullied; I would include cyberbullying in this lesson as well so that the students know what it is. If I encountered a case of cyberbullying in my classroom, I would have to revoke technologies privileges from the student who was abusing technology, for the rest of the school year. That student would receive alternate activities to participate in that did not involve the technologies that the other students would have privileges to use. I would also call the parent of the cyberbully to inform them of their students actions; as well as ask them to monitor their child’s technology at home to prevent further bullying.

Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. (n.d.). Cyberbullying identification, prevention and response. Cyberbullying Research Center,

Equitable Access

• Technologies for learning enhance learning and engage the students in the lesson. Technologies like smartboards allow teachers to use visuals and experience to enhance learning for students to the fullest. Technologies for learners provide students with tools to further their knowledge and learning experience. Something like providing the students with laptops to research a particular topic would be a technology for a learner, because they are using technology to further their own learning. Technologies allow students to have equitable access for students. It allows students to succeed that may not be able to otherwise. It may be inequitable for students if they have fewer technologies available to them. The current use of technology in schools creates equitable access to students because most schools offer computer labs in which students can engage in to complete online activities and assignments. This may be inequitable for students who do no have access to these technologies at home and therefore, maybe unable to complete these types of assignments. Also, technology gives students equitable access to researching different topics. It allows students to find more information outside of library books. This may be inequitable because as library books never change, information on the internet is constantly changing and some may be falsified. For the most part I believe technology has more equitable qualities than inequitable.

Digital Age Best Practice

I wrote up a lesson plan on weather exploration last semester. The lesson had the students go outside and observe the weather each day and record their findings in a weather journal. The students would also make predictions about the weather the following day and relate the weather to the current season. All of this was recorded in their weather journals with pictures from magazines and illustrations. The digital age best practice would be used to make the lesson active and engaging for the students. It would include collaborative learning to further engage the students. A part of digital best practice is that student questions drive inquiry, so this lesson could be modified so that the students could still make their predictions about the weather the following day and then check and compare their predictions with what meteorologists predict online. Students could also find the temperature each day online and compare it to other countries temperatures. And maybe instead of having them record their findings in a journal they could record them in a blog and upload actual pictures from the environment that they are observing. These activities will encourage investigation and engagement of the students, which is a part of the digital best practice.

Phase 2 -Cycle 2

Instructional Decisions/ Teaching - I first showed the students a large picture of the solar system. I had a short discussion about what the picture was and what they already knew about the solar system. After the discussion I showed the students a youtube video which consisted of a catchy song about the planets in the solar system. The song included the planet's order as well as short facts about each planet. After the students watched the video they participated in their first web activity. The activity had the students click on each planet and view facts about them. After they were given a suitable amount of time to do this, they began their second web activity. The second web activity had the students name as many planets as they could remember. Once the students identified the planet's name by typing it in a designated area, the planet appeared in the correct order in the solar system. After they finished their web activity, I instructed them to pull up their smartboard notebook activity. The first activity had the students put all of the planets in order, and the second activity had the students read a group of facts, the students then had to match the planet to its corresponding fact. Through this lesson I learned that some students may have difficulties with the first 2 web activities. The activities were at the appropriate grade level however some students may need more time than others. If was difficult to give them needed time because of the shortness of the lesson. Also, I accidentally showed the video right after the anticipatory set, but I had planned to show the video right before the smartboard activities. The video was supposed to be used for reinforcement, to help the students remember what they learned in the lesson and then reapply it to their smartboard activity. This would have been more beneficial for the students. - The standard that I chose for this lesson was Strand 6: Earth and Space Science PO 1: Identify the known planets of the solar system. My learning objectives were that the students would know the order of the planets in the solar systems as well as the planets specific properties. My web activities as well as my video addressed these objectives. The smartboard activities at the end also ensured that the objectives were met at the end of the lesson. - I did not have to modify this lesson for students individual needs this time. I only had to allow a student more time to complete the activities, than the others. However, the lesson was designed in a way that it could easily be modified to meet and individuals needs depending on the circumstances. Assessment of Learning -My smartboard activities at the end required the students to recall various information from the lesson. The activities had the students order the planets and as well as identify them based on specific proprerties. Also, the second web activity had the students recall the names of all the planets. Because my learning objectives were that the students would be able to order the planets as well as identify the planets and their properties, the activities at the end that were collected for assessment would show that the objectives were met. -If the students were able to order the planets accurately in their smartboard notebook activity as well as match the planets with their specific properties, I would be able to know whether my assessment was successful or not. -My reflections as well as my classmates determined that overall my lesson was successful and met all of the objectives. Due to time limits some lesson modifications had to be made, but the lesson was still successful and beneficial to the students and myself.

Phase 1 Cycle 2- Planning Assessment

The smartboard notebook activities will serve as assessments for this lesson. The first activity will be graded for accuracy to see if the students are able to put the planets in order. The second activity will also be graded for accuracy as well to see the students are able to match the planets to their corresponding planet. The students are forced to recall all the information they experienced and learned throughout the lesson. Both assessments are hands-on which forces the students to stay focused and engaged. The assessments can be easily adjusted to meet students individual needs; however, the assessments include visual pictures of the planets which can be very helpful for some students.

Phase 1-Cycle 2 - Designing Instruction

My lesson is designed so that the students stay interested and motivated. They have many activities throughout the lesson as well as discussions and a video. Using different technology gives the students an opportunity to experience the information in a hands-on way. The web activities allows the students to explore and experience the different planets. The video teaches the students a new song that will help them remember facts about the planets as well as the order. The smartboard notebook activities access everything that the students learned throughout the lesson. The students are constantly doing something different, new and exciting. The technology integrated in this lessons allows students to have a memorable experience; therefore they will remember the information they are being taught for a long period of time.

Phase 1-Cycle 2 - Plans Instruction

The objectives are clear to the students by the activities that they are required to do within the lesson. The activities clearly show the students facts and the order of the planets in the solar system which is part of the objectives and standards. The lesson activities are at the appropriate learning and technology level for the students. The activities also can be modified for ELL students, special education students or gifted students.

Phase 1-Cycle 2 -Assessing Prior Knowledge

Prior knowledge is assessed in the beginning of the lesson when the teacher shows a picture of the solar system and asks the students questions about the planets. A pre-test of some sort could be given before the actual lesson to access the students knowledge and see what level they are at technology wise as well as what they already know about planets. This would be helpful to know before the lesson so that the teacher would know what to incorporate into the lesson. Knowing what the students learning level of the solar system is before the lesson will also help the teacher know what activities will keep students engaged or make them bored.

Phase 2-Cycle 1

Here are two digital artifacts from my lesson.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.) <!--[endif]-->I first had an anticipatory set where I told the students to get into pairs. From there I explained what Odd numbers were. As a class we had a short discussion, explaining exactly how to determine if a number was even or odd. From this I learned that there is going to be a lot of questions considering that I am teaching the lessons to 1^st graders. Next the students completed my activity on the smart-board. Although this took a short amount of time, I learned that I would need to consider that they are 1^st graders and in an actual lesson it may take a lot longer. After the activity I displayed 2 videos off of youtube about even and odd numbers. The students and well as myself really liked the videos. After watching the videos the students were instructed to write out all the even numbers and then all the odd numbers within the range of 1-10. I then checked the students’ work to see if the they understood the lesson. I learned that this part once again may take longer with actual first graders, rather than college students pretending to be first graders. The lesson aligned with the standards and objectives because the students had to look at, analyze and compare numbers 1-10 to figure out whether they were even or odd. In my lesson one student was slower than the others. Because of the 20 minute lesson restriction I accidently found myself somewhat rushing that student and not letting the student think for herself. A modification I would make to my lesson would be to add an additional activity, just in case something like this were to occur. The additional activity would be used for other students who finish the first activity before their peers. Having this would allow those students who are slower, time to finish without feeling like all the other students are waiting for them.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.) The final activity where the students are asked to write out all the even numbers of 1-10 and all the odd numbers of 1-10 shows me as the teacher whether or not they understood the lesson. Also viewing their smart-board activity in which they made pairs of different objects to determine even or odd numbers shows me that they are able to compare and analyze numbers to come to a conclusion of whether they are even or odd. Being able to see their work allowed me to see how effective my lesson was, and in this case it was very effective. I truly believe that this was a clever lesson that could actually be used in a 1^st grade classroom. At first I was worried about the time limit but all in all the lesson went well and my classmates agreed as well.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.)

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Phase 1-Cycle 1

I am teaching a lesson on how to identify even and odd numbers. The lesson is directed toward 1st grade. To be able to identify even and odd numbers it is pertinent that the students know how to count up to ten. I can assess prior knowledge by having the students count to 10 aloud. In this lesson it is also necessary that students understand what "pairing" means or how to group something in "pairs". If I had more time to teach this lesson rather than just 20 minutes, I would lead an activity in which students had to create pairs, or some kind of matching activity. If I am assessing their prior knowledge and they do not have the skills necessary for my lesson, I would have to modify my lesson to help them understand the prior knowledge that is necessary to understand my lesson. My anticipatory set also reinforces their understanding of pairs. Another way I would go about assessing prior knowledge in my classroom, would be to assess what they know a day or two before I give the lesson. A small test or group discussion that assesses their prior knowledge would help me know where the students are prior to teaching my lesson. If the students were not where they needed to be to understand my lesson on odd and even numbers, I would structure my lesson differently so that they are able to understand.

Quality Teaching

I believe that a quality teacher is one who puts extra efforts in ensuring the understanding of their students. A quality teacher is also a positive role model, who inspires their students to learn and accomplish goals. If I wanted to know how well I was doing as a teacher I would ask my students to tell me 3 things that they found to be the most important to them, that I had taught them. If each student is able to list and explain at least 3 things I will know that they had learned at least something. I would also ask my students if they felt comfortable in my classroom. I think it is extremely important for a classroom environment to be safe and comfortable. This encourages the students to share and participate in lessons and activities. I think it is important for students to have goals, both personal and educational. I will encourage this throughout my teaching. Therefore, I will ask my students what their goals are, or were for the year and if they accomplished them. If I was able to help them accomplish at least 1 of their goals, I know was was successful. I will ask my students if they like being in my classroom, or if they like coming to school. I want to be sure that my students are getting something out of my class, and more importantly enjoying it. Lastly, although "teaching to the test" is frowned upon, and I dont plan on doing it, I would still ask the principal or higher administration what my students' standardized test scores were. I would like to know if my teaching is successful in allowing them to move on to the next grade. I want to make sure that I did my job for the year and I think that knowing these scores would help.

Technology Integration in Lessons

As a student in the College of Education at NAU, I have written and taught many lessons. After learning about all the positive benefits that the integration of technology in the classroom have, I can only imagine of how much better my lessons would have been if they had involved technology in them. Back in November I had taught a first grade class a lesson on the Mayflower. I think it would have been really beneficial if my teacher had a smartboard. I would have used the smartboard to show my students pictures of the gigantic boat. This would give them a visual idea of how large the ship really was. I would try to find a virtual tour of the Mayflower to show them. I think that this would have really engaged the students and allowed them to understand the information better. It would have provided them with a life-like experience that they could relate to and therefore, make the lesson a memorable one for them.

Technology Integration

Technology is a huge part of society today. Growth in technology use is rapid, and new technologies are being introduced daily. Technology is being used EVERYWHERE, including classrooms. Classrooms are using technology everyday. Whether it is a smartboard or a calculator, some type of technology is being used. Although technology is a large and growing part of our society, I believe that some uses of it in the classroom can be potent to students' learning; therefore, it is the teacher's responsibility to make sure that the integration of technology in their classroom is beneficial. I believe that teachers should use smartboards to provide interactive learning with their students. If they are learning about a different country or an unfamiliar place, why not show them by using videos and pictures located from the internet and displayed on the smartboard. If students are learning math, why not let them come up and interact with objects on the smartboard, that display a math problem. I think all technology use in the classroom needs to be monitored. The last thing we want is our students just sitting on a computer playing games all day. Technology can be used to engage the students, I think projects that require online research and web surfing are also a great way to do this. This not only engages the student in what they are learning about but it also gives them the opportunity to learn how to use technology in a hands-on manner. Visuals play a large role in children understanding when they are learning something new. Technology gives teachers the opportunity to incorporate those visuals into their lessons and ensure their students' understanding. I think technology integration in the classroom is a very positive thing; however, teachers need to take the time to ensure that their students are getting all of the benefits from it throughout their education.