EDU 642: Week 6 - Preparing for Creating

Part 1: Reflection & Planning

I have a few different topics and lessons in my head right now that this week's activities could focus on:

• Studio 4 students publishing story writing in a variety of ways (not just books/documents)
• A mini stop-motion course for Studio 4 students to publish myths
• A course for K-5 teachers to study for the Google Certified Educator Level 1 Exam

This week, after thinking and reading about AR, VR, computational thinking, and QR codes, these are the things I am thinking about creating:

• A coding lesson for Studio 4 students to publish a story of their own writing, probably in Scratch
• An AR lesson for Studio 4 students to publish a story of their own writing, probably in Keynote and ARmakr
• A QR code lesson for K-5 teachers to practice some of the skills needed to become a Google Certified Educator Level 1
• A unit plan and visual presentation for Studio 4 students to create a stop motion video of a myth they wrote themselves

Coding Lesson

For the purposes of this blog post, I will focus on my idea about the coding lesson, since I will be applying for ISTE Certification and it was noted that this might be the best option to use as an artifact when applying.

Content Area: I would like to focus on publishing pieces of writing in different ways, in this case through a coding lens. My expectations are just that they are exposed to this way of publishing, for them to use as an option in the future for publishing their own writing. This would be an introduction to using Scratch for the purposes of publishing.
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ISHCMC Writing standards I hope to address:

• W6 a. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing
• LS4 a. Tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

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IBPYP ATL skills I hope to address:

• Communication Skills - ICT
  • Informed Choices - I can select the most effective way to communicate depending on the audience
  • Informed Choices - I can adjust and vary my communication method to suit different audiences

Audience: Studio 4 students

Computational Thinking: I would expect students to learn how to add backgrounds, choose characters, make characters move, and make characters "speak" using text on screen in Scratch/Scratch Jr.

Influence on Success: For most students this will likely be their first time using Scratch. Some of their own written stories may be quite long or complex. The combination of these two factors could affect their ability to produce a quality publication of their own writing.

Considerations: I think that teaching students how to use the tutorial videos for extra support will be important. I also think that for their first time, I will just get them to create a very short summary of their writing. They have practiced using the Somebody, Somewhere, Wanted, But, So, Then method of summarizing. I think I will get them to write a summary of a story they have written (or maybe even of a story we read), and then code that shortened version of it. If some students are really struggling to process this, Scratch Jr could be used as another option for them.

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Part 2: Ask

This week I would like feedback on whether you think the artifacts are acceptable for ISTE Certification purposes under different standards. 

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Part 3: Provide

Thank you for creating assignments that are so flexible with our current situations. I am loving that they are immediately available for me to use, and it is inspiring me to create new courses for both students and teachers at my school. This will prepare me for my upcoming coaching role, and is making me even more excited about the change. 

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