Intro Module Reflection
For this assignment I chose to work with Google Classroom. I focused my course on the Newfoundland and Labrador grade 3 Science curriculum of Plant Growth and Changes (Education and Early Childhood Development, 2017). I have never had to do anything like this before and honestly didn’t really know anything about Google Classrooms but decided to use it because I’ve heard of others using it at the age level of which I teach (primary/elementary). I think that in the future this is something that I’ll be able to use as a tool in my classroom!
After watching a couple tutorials I found Google Classroom to be quite easy to use, but it did have a lot of limitations, which is what I expected. As a free LMS, there will be limitations, however it worked well enough for me to accomplish exactly what I was hoping to accomplish. This LMS provided me with a clean, and user-friendly interface that is accessible from all devices. So it would work for whatever kind of device my students had access to. It is also great for sharing and communicating since it has a great commenting system. I’m also very interesting in going the no-paper route. So I look forward to being able to explore even more to see how I can make this unit work for both the students and myself.When being asked to only complete an introductory module, I found it different to look so far ahead. There is a significant amount of information I’d like to share with my students so I constantly felt myself going back to make sure I had everything included that I felt should be included. As an introduction, I felt it necessary to make sure I got to know my students as much as a could, since it is sometimes felt that there is a disconnect between teachers and students in online learning. Terry Anderson (2008) explains this issue and that it is critical that teachers make a connection in the early stages of a course. “It is for this reason that experienced online learning teachers must make time at the commencement of their learning interactions to provide incentive and opportunity for students to share their understandings, their culture, and the unique aspects of themselves” (Anderson, 2008). At a grade 3 level there is only so much you can expect from the students so I decided to make my activities fun for the students. They are to make their own avatar for their account and post 3 interesting facts about themselves on the class blog. Then, to activate prior knowledge and get them thinking about the unit, they will be completing the first parts of a KWL chart and posting that on the blog for me to see their understandings thus far with this topic. I felt that this would get students excited for what’s to come!
For assessment, I decided to use Google Forms since Google Classroom does not have its own quiz-maker. This is something I find very easy to use and is would be very user friendly for students. I was able to easily integrate images as well as create different kinds of questions (multiple choice, matching, etc.) for my students.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience of creating this portion but do look forward to being able to create the content module so I can explore even more with Google Classroom. At first I didn’t think it would work for a young grade but I am learning that by changing my own personal attitude, I can make the technology work for me!
References:
Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University. Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf
Education and Early Childhood Development. (2017). Science 3 Curriculum Guide 2017. Retrieved from Education and Early Childhood Development website: http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/k12/curriculum/guides/science/Science_3_Curriculum_Guide_2017.pdf