3.7 Communication & Collaboration
Candidates utilize digital communication and collaboration tools to communicate locally and globally with students, parents, peers, and the larger community. (PSC 3.7/ISTE 3g)
Artifact: Zoology Website - Use this join code: GRDP7-PNV9W to access the site
Reflection:
My Zoology classroom website was created to fulfill the school requirement of each teacher having his or her own blog or website to communicate with parents and students. I chose to use Schoology as my classroom website for Zoology to satisfy this requirement. To create this website, I first had to research which platform I wanted to use. I decided on Schoology after determining that this website program has the best all-around tools that allow for a better website experience for the students. This website is a complete classroom tool where students can access classroom documents, watch lecture videos, participate in discussion boards, submit assignments, and even take assessments. I created this website independently after deciding I wanted my students to have a better blended classroom experience.
Standard 3.7 sets the foundation for candidates to utilize digital communication and collaboration tools to communicate to a variety of audiences both locally and globally. The use of this artifact in my classroom demonstrates many aspects of this standard. Within the Schoology program, students are able to communicate with each other via messaging and posts on the classroom page. Students are also able to both communicate and collaborate with each other via discussion boards on the website. In addition, Schoology allows for seamless parent communication between teacher and parent or even between student and parent through messaging and online question and answer forums.
This aspect of local communication and collaboration have allowed students to develop deeper understanding of content. Additional opportunities for global communication and collaboration with the larger community are also possible through forums and discussion boards. Community members in an area of expertise related to current classroom content could comment on classroom discussion when requested and facilitate further collaboration from a global perspective. Teachers also have the ability to communicate and collaborate with other teacher peers from local schools or even globally by joining and even forming groups. Within my Schoology site, I have created an on-level biology peer group where the three of us that teach the course can communicate regularly regarding upcoming classroom collaboration and potential assignments.
Creating a classroom website using Schoology has been invaluable to my classes and how my students learn classroom content. The Schoology site is truly the total package. I did not realize how many more opportunities I could create for my students by using Schoology. Even the relationship students now have to the material is better and they are truly engaged in conversation and discussion with each other. The website is organized and easy to navigate for students and allows them the freedom to guide their own learning. Because I flip my classroom, the Schoology site has also been a great resource to streamline all of my classroom content into one location. In creating my classroom website on Schoology in the future, I would like to create even more opportunity for discussion and use the discussion board tool more regularly. I think this discussion tool would also be especially beneficial to gauge prior knowledge of students and to promote discussion about new classroom topics.
The creation of my classroom website through Schoology is beneficial for student learning but is also having a benefit on faculty development. Students are able to access all classroom materials and this ability is especially beneficial when students are absent or have accommodations that require copies of notes and handouts. Students are also able to be independent and guide their own learning by being able to work at their own pace to some extent. The impact on student learning can be assessed by examining student performance in the class and also looking at student engagement with the classroom material. Faculty development has also benefitted in that several teachers have heard about Schoology and have asked me to show them how to use it in their classrooms. These teachers are further developing from a professional level but also impacting the learning of their students too. The faculty development can be assessed by analyzing student engagement in their classrooms before the use of Schoology and after the use of the site to determine how students are benefitting from the new implementation.
Please visit www.schoology.com and enter this join code: GRDP7-PNV9W to access the site.
My Zoology classroom website was created to fulfill the school requirement of each teacher having his or her own blog or website to communicate with parents and students. I chose to use Schoology as my classroom website for Zoology to satisfy this requirement. To create this website, I first had to research which platform I wanted to use. I decided on Schoology after determining that this website program has the best all-around tools that allow for a better website experience for the students. This website is a complete classroom tool where students can access classroom documents, watch lecture videos, participate in discussion boards, submit assignments, and even take assessments. I created this website independently after deciding I wanted my students to have a better blended classroom experience.
Standard 3.7 sets the foundation for candidates to utilize digital communication and collaboration tools to communicate to a variety of audiences both locally and globally. The use of this artifact in my classroom demonstrates many aspects of this standard. Within the Schoology program, students are able to communicate with each other via messaging and posts on the classroom page. Students are also able to both communicate and collaborate with each other via discussion boards on the website. In addition, Schoology allows for seamless parent communication between teacher and parent or even between student and parent through messaging and online question and answer forums.
This aspect of local communication and collaboration have allowed students to develop deeper understanding of content. Additional opportunities for global communication and collaboration with the larger community are also possible through forums and discussion boards. Community members in an area of expertise related to current classroom content could comment on classroom discussion when requested and facilitate further collaboration from a global perspective. Teachers also have the ability to communicate and collaborate with other teacher peers from local schools or even globally by joining and even forming groups. Within my Schoology site, I have created an on-level biology peer group where the three of us that teach the course can communicate regularly regarding upcoming classroom collaboration and potential assignments.
Creating a classroom website using Schoology has been invaluable to my classes and how my students learn classroom content. The Schoology site is truly the total package. I did not realize how many more opportunities I could create for my students by using Schoology. Even the relationship students now have to the material is better and they are truly engaged in conversation and discussion with each other. The website is organized and easy to navigate for students and allows them the freedom to guide their own learning. Because I flip my classroom, the Schoology site has also been a great resource to streamline all of my classroom content into one location. In creating my classroom website on Schoology in the future, I would like to create even more opportunity for discussion and use the discussion board tool more regularly. I think this discussion tool would also be especially beneficial to gauge prior knowledge of students and to promote discussion about new classroom topics.
The creation of my classroom website through Schoology is beneficial for student learning but is also having a benefit on faculty development. Students are able to access all classroom materials and this ability is especially beneficial when students are absent or have accommodations that require copies of notes and handouts. Students are also able to be independent and guide their own learning by being able to work at their own pace to some extent. The impact on student learning can be assessed by examining student performance in the class and also looking at student engagement with the classroom material. Faculty development has also benefitted in that several teachers have heard about Schoology and have asked me to show them how to use it in their classrooms. These teachers are further developing from a professional level but also impacting the learning of their students too. The faculty development can be assessed by analyzing student engagement in their classrooms before the use of Schoology and after the use of the site to determine how students are benefitting from the new implementation.
Please visit www.schoology.com and enter this join code: GRDP7-PNV9W to access the site.