Google Classroom Exploration

• What was new for you.

The whole concept of Google Classroom was new to me. I had no idea they had, essentially, an online classroom for teachers and students.  I liked that there was a special code to get into the classroom though. I felt safer about needing a code to have access to the assignments, posts, emails, etc. This whole virtual classroom idea was completely new to me! In this case, I would love to be able to use this with my students in my classroom.

• If you got struck, where, and how you got unstuck.

I got stuck trying to add people. I tried to add my friend from college and it would not let me. I then tried to add my mom and it still would not let me. So, I'm still working through that issue. I am wondering if the issue is email account. Again, I'm not sure so I am going to try a little later and see what happens. Since I got stuck so early in the process, I did not get a change to get stuck trying to send out any assignments. I watched the video and it seemed to be a pretty easy system to run! 

• How this tool might be applicable in a classroom.

 This tool could completely be applied in the classroom! However, it would only work if my students had regular access to technology. I think it would work better for older students simply because it seems to be a lot of writing-based assignments. Furthermore, gaining the knowledge to explore a virtual classroom might be a little complicated for a seven or eight year old! I do think it would be very useful in the classroom. It seems to be an easy for the teacher to assign and keep track of assignments as well as the students to have access to it. The homework assignments could be given through google classroom, it would be an environmentally-friendly way to give students assignments and grade them!

• How, if applicable, this tool fits in with the SAMR framework and UDL.

I would say Google classroom fits into the M in the  SAMR framework. I say modification because it opens up the options for the assignment I could get in return. By that I mean, if I assign a prompt, "What did you do this summer?" I could get more than just writing if I allow. I could get a series of pictures from a vacation or I could get a video, explaining the summer events. The Google website/forum opens up the possibilities as to what I could possibly get back. If I simply assigned a writing assignment in class, I would get writing assignments back. I could say something to the effect of you can turn in anything explaining your summer but I think it is easier to respond creatively on a computer where you have access to your pictures without printing them.

For that same reason, I think it fits into UDL because it allows for a wider range of responses. It could significantly help students with disabilities. If they struggle with writing, they could type or create a collage or make a video. It opens up the possibilities for students with any learning disability.

PLN: History

We talked about passions. We talked about the ways we explore our passions. These explorations allow us to create and form our PLNs!

For the last nine years of my life, I have studied history. I developed my love for history in my geography class freshman year of high school when I realized I LOVED maps! It developed further, I took AP classes throughout high school. I fell in love with history. When I left for college, I decided to become a history major. This took me on a journey of reading, buying books I enjoyed, buying books for class, becoming a member of online databases, etc.

All of these things make up my PLN for history. I have countless readers and textbooks about Medieval Iberia, which was my concentration in college. I have many articles downloaded onto my computer from databases I was once a member of. I have let it go recently because I think it is silly to pay for a membership to access articles I do not have time to read. However, I have class notes and websites bookmarked; I have book readers and informational texts on the crusades and inter-religious interactions in the; I have articles and google books about Medieval Europe, specifically Medieval Iberia.


All of these things make up my History Personal Learning Network!



11.26.14 Addition:
I googled and found a few other Elementary School teachers who are equally as passionate as me about history! It was fascinating to read about other teachers  who implement history into their classroom.

Firstly, there is this woman, Jennifer Orr. She is a first grade teacher who implements history into other subject areas. For math, when they study graphs, she has her first graders interview older staff members, then they make a graph about the differences in answers, etc. I love this! I am so excited to include history in this manner in my future classroom! Her link (I'm not sure if it is a blog): http://teachinghistory.org/nhec-blog/24652

This blog is not a specific teacher in particular, but it is all about teachers who implement history into their elementary classrooms! I had the best time reading through these. After reading these, I know it is possible to implement history into my elementary school classroom! http://teachinghistory.org/nhec-blog

Possibly the greatest blog about history in the elementary school classroom comes from a woman named Lisa. She has had a blog since 2006 about history in the classroom! From reading her history blog, it gave me great ideas about how to tell my elementary students history facts. She wrote mini-stories throughout her blog about people and dates in history. This would be a fun way to teach history to my students! http://historyiselementary.blogspot.com/