EEND 678 Artifact #2: Grant Writing Proprosal

The second artifact I chose for EEND 678 was my Grant Writing Proposal. The reason I chose this artifact is because it is something that I had never tackled before in my career as an educator. During my ten years teaching, I have seen many colleagues write grants and receive funds to do amazing things in their classrooms. I have always been so impressed by these teachers. I have been impressed by their creativity in creating projects, their ability to convince others of the value of their ideas, and the way they have turned an idea on paper into a real life project. Although I have been in awe of the amazing things I have seen my colleagues due through the help of a grant, it is something that I had never attempted, and never thought I was able to do. This project really pushed me to try something new. I am so glad that I completed the writing for the grant. It gave me confidence to continue to pursue grants for projects that I think will benefit my students.

One of the biggest challenges in regards to this artifact was determining what exactly I should write a grant for. There are so many amazing possibilities available and can think of about a million things that I would like for my classroom that I think would benefit my students. However, for the grant I had to choose one project that I thought was the most valuable, would be the most beneficial for my students, and that those who decide the grant can understand the value of. I went back and forth between a few different projects or ideas before deciding that mobile recording stations would be of great value to my students and the rest of the students in the grade level. I chose this project because I felt that the value of the project extended beyond just one subject area. Students could use these tools to improve their assignments and projects in every content area. Also, by creating 5 mobile recording stations, each one could be housed in a different classroom, then the project would benefit all the students in fourth grade, not just my class. It was challenging to determine which project to write a grant for; however, I feel like I chose a project that would be of great value for more students across multiple content areas.

Although the actual grant cannot be implemented in the classroom, if I win the grant money, my project can be implemented. I wrote a grant to create 5 mobile recording stations. This school year when we went 1:1 Chromebooks, we have increased the number and type of digital projects that students are creating. More and more frequently, my students are creating projects with audio or video aspects. However, my students often became frustrated when trying to record audio on their Chromebooks. The audio was often hard to hear, either drown out by other noises in the classroom, or interference from the Chromebook itself. However, these mobile recording stations would eliminate these problems. Students could use the higher quality microphone and mobile recording “booths” to ensure a quality audio that the audience would be able to understand on the first try. This would increase student productiveness and improve the quality of the assignments students are creating.

Finally, I feel that this artifact speaks to my growth as an educator. Educators every day are faced with what can feel like an impossible task. We are often stretched thin with a laundry list of things to accomplish with minimal time and resources in which to do so. We are expected to help a crowded classroom of students, each with their own strengths and challenges, learn and grow at their own pace and skill level. We seem to be expected to do it all with very little resources. One way in which I can grow and improve as an educator is to seek out resources that will help the students in my classroom. One way in which I can do this is to write grants to supplement the resources that I am given. I think it takes thought and reflection to decide what tools would benefit your students and how to get those resources into your classroom. I think that by writing grants I am working to improve the learning environment and resources of my students, and therefore am becoming a better educator. 

EEND 678 Artifacts #1: PBL Unit

The first artifact that I have chosen for this class is PBLUnit. I chose this artifact because I feel that it really encompassed learning from several different weeks in class. The idea of Project Based Learning is something that I heard about, but did not think was something that I was interested in incorporating into my classroom. The more I learned about PBL I realized that I did not have a true understanding of what PBL was or why I should be using it in my classroom. During the first few weeks of this class I learned a lot about what PBL is and the successes and challenges that often go along with it. During this time I also brainstormed several different PBLs I could implement in my classroom with a variety of corresponding technology experiences for my students. Next, we learned about UbD. I was finally able to combine these two important topics by using UbD to create a PBL unit for my students. I am so excited to implement this unit with my students during the next school year.  I think that this project is a great example of the learning I completed during the first few weeks in the class.

Although I am very proud of the work I completed for this project, and I think it shows my understanding of UbD and PBL, it does not mean that this project did not have its challenges. One major challenge I faced while completing this project was my knowledge of the subject content. I really felt that the science curriculum would lend itself best to the PBL concept, and it one of the few content areas where all my students are present. Additionally, I wanted to be sure that if I was putting in the time and effort, I wanted to create a meaningful and useful product that I could implement for multiple years. However, next year we will be implementing a new science curriculum in the elementary buildings. Although I have a curriculum map, I do not have experience actually teaching the lessons. This was a challenge when trying to create a PBL unit that focused on the topics covered in the curriculum map, even though I have not yet taught the curriculum yet. I look forward to implementing this unit next year with my students. However, I also recognize that because it is the first time that I will be teaching this curriculum, I will more than likely have to make changes and modifications to my unit as I am implementing and better understanding the curriculum and resources provided.

This assignment could be implemented into the curriculum very easily. I wrote this PBL Unit based upon the concepts that are being studied during Trimester 3 Science in fourth grade. The trimester topic in science is Waves and Earth Features. I created a PBL unit that students can work on for a few weeks during this trimester. It asks students to learn about different energy and fuel types, determine which is best for the Earth and try to convince others how and why we should use it. I think that this assignment would be great to implement because it is a real life problem that students could become really engaged with. I also provided a variety of learning opportunities for students to combine technology, research, reading, and writing skills to improve their understanding of the science topics. I believe that implement this unit will improve student engagement and improve their learning and understanding of the topic.

Finally, I think this assignment is a great example of how I have grown as an educator through this class. PBL is more than just a buzz word, but a shift in instruction that can have huge benefits for students. Prior to this class, my understanding of PBL was very limited. It was something that seemed like a lot of work that I was not interested in exploring further. However, during this class I was able to brainstorm a variety of ideas that would make great PBLs and then explore one of the topics deeper to create a PBL unit. This showed me what I am capable and has given me the courage to continue to explore PBLs in the future. I really hope to share my knowledge and understanding of PBLs with my teammates and hopefully we will be able to create additional units together. I look forward to leading my team in creating real life valuable learning experiences for our students. 

EEND 678 Course Reflection

While reflecting on this class, one article that really was meaningful to me was, “35 Leaders on the Successes and Challenges of Project Based Learning.” I found this article to be so meaningful for a few reasons. One reason it really stuck with me was the honesty of the people interviewed. I feel like often times the successes and the amazing possibilities of technology are presented, but rarely are the very realistic challenges discussed. For example one Blossom Johnston states, “The work we've funded in this space in Idaho over the past 4 years point to a few key lessons. But, first of all we've seen that this is a really difficult learning approach that requires a lot of time, effort, resources and support to implement.” I think it is really important to acknowledge while we are trying to implement these amazing concepts there is a lot of time and effort involved. I feel like often times we are expected to do amazing things, without any consideration or acknowledgement of all the work behind the scenes. This article is great because it speaks to the amazing possibilities of technology in the classroom without ignoring all the effort and challenges behind the scenes.

One discussion that I felt was truly meaningful was “Feedback on a Flip.” Flipped Learning is a concept that I was had heard about but found to overwhelming to try to tackle. I found the discussion with my peers really beneficial. It was great to hear their different ideas of how to make this “big idea” work for them in their classrooms. I also really enjoyed seeing their Flipped Videos. It was great to see the variety of topics as well as different tools and programs that people decided to use when creating their Flipped Video. It provided me with lots of ideas and inspiration. I feel that prior to the discussion and the sharing of the videos the concept of Flipped Learning seemed overwhelming and I wasn’t sure how to do it “right”. The discussion with my colleagues helped me to realize there are so many ways to explore with this topic and doing it “right” may look a little different in each classroom.

I feel that I have truly grown as a connected educator through this class. I have really pushed out of my comfort zone for many projects during this class. Project Based Learning and Flipped Learning are two huge buzz words that I had heard about, read about, and decided were beyond something I could tackle. However, through this class I have been forced to push out of my comfort zone and tackle these innovative approaches to learning. I am so excited to implement my PBL next year and share my knowledge with my teammates and hopefully create additional units together. Similarly, from discussions with and examples from my classmates I have gained so many ideas of ways to flip learning in my classroom. I look forward to exploring this concept with my students next year and make it work for my classroom.