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Month: February 2022

Building Community

Building Community

This week we talked about building an online community and what impacts it could have on learning.  Building an online community when all students are not in the classroom can create a feeling of belonging and acceptance.

During Covid, I as a teacher felt a loss of community as well.  As the time away from school kept increasing we as a staff were struggling so we developed aVirtual Video Conference Call Coffee Break “coffee break time” through an online platform. This was an optional meeting to join but it gave everyone the opportunity to connect and actually see fellow staff members.  You don’t realize how much you actually miss the collegiality until it is removed from you due to extenuating circumstances.  I believe that one thing that Covid has taught us is the importance of feeling part of a community!

Please click on the link below as it list great ideas to help build community in your online platform.

25 Community-Building Activities for Virtual ClassroomsHuman Resources Recruitment and People Networking Concept. Modern graphic interface showing professional employee hiring and headhunter seeking interview candidate for future manpower.

More Community Building Activities

  • Morning Check Ins 
  • Spirit Week
  • Demonstrating expectations
  • Creating News Broadcasts
  • Touching Base with students                                    Online remote learning. School kids with computer.
  • Reflection
  • Presentations
  • Office Hours

In my course I will use a few different options but will not be limited to just these.  One thing I am learning from this class is that I am continually learning of new and better ways to incorporate ideas into my online unit plan.

Flipgrid

  • Students will use this tool in each lesson
  •  The student to record how they have met the outcome of the lesson.
  •  Students can watch their friends posts.
  •  A fun alternative to writing

 

Google Meet

  • Students will start of each asynchronous class in a google meet
  • Some type of community building activity from above will be incorporated each time
  • Students will have a chance to see each other
  • Students will have a chance to ask questions   

Jam Board

  • will be used for students to share ideas and thoughts
  • anonymous
  • see what everyone is thinking
  • nothing will be assessed from using this tool

Below is a link to a great article from Edutopia on creating a strong online community

How to Forge a Strong Community in an Online Classroom

New Fun Teaching Tool for the Classroom

New Fun Teaching Tool for the Classroom

What is Flipgrid???

  • Flipgrid is a website and app that allows teachers to facilitate video discussions.
  • acts as an interactive message board where teachers can pose questions and students can post video responses
  • A variety of filters and tools allow for text, stickers, screen recording, and other possibilities.
  • Via the immersive reading feature, students can see closed captioning and translations, too.

Review of Flipgrid

Strengths

  • Quick, yet impressive formative assessment.
  • Easy to navigate.
  • Easy to sign up.
  • Simple to embed Grids or topics on any website or LMS.
  • Great for parent involvement and communication.
  • Works for any and every subject!
  • Gives shy students a voice!
  • Students can access Flipgrid from anywhere through any device with internet connection.
  • Styled to embody popular social media sites, which appeals to students.
  • Students will beg to make Flipgrids!  It is a great tool to use for homework.
  • Build a classroom community.
  • Build student’s speaking and listening skills.

https://it648whittet.weebly.com/pros-and-cons.html

Weaknesses​

  • Teachers can grade using embedded rubrics, but they are very basic.  Teachers must upgrade if they want detailed rubrics.
  • Without the paid version, teachers only get on grid.  Having multiple grids allows the teacher to organize topics more efficiently.  
  • Students could play around using the technology and possibly waste class time, if the teacher does not pay close attention. 
  • Students could possibly be inappropriate in video responses.  Although, the instructor does have the option to view the video prior to being posted to the Grid. 
  • There are so many possibilities with Flipgrid, an educator could become overwhelmed! 
  • As a teacher you can waste a lot of time playing with the program.

https://it648whittet.weebly.com/pros-and-cons.html

Potential for Teachers

  • great tool for every learning situation
  • further classroom conversations by assigning questions as homework assignments, and then continue the conversation in class the next day
  • Ask students to weigh in on a critical current event for a social studies or civics class,
  • Use Flipgrid in a math class to ask students to describe the process they used to solve a complex problem
  • use Flipgrid as an opportunity for students to post reviews of books, movies, games, or TV shows.
  • At the end of a unit, ask students to reflect on what they’ve learned.

 

Course Overview Grade 2 Health

Course Overview Grade 2 Health

 

Biologic vegetable, comic 2

 

Target Audience

Grade 2, aged 6-8, high indigenous population in each grade living on File Hills with poverty related issues. Through Jordan’s Principle and their Nations about 80% of the students have some type of technology they can use at home.  The Nations are currently having a SaskTel work with them to provide better internet services.  Our students struggle with various amounts of trauma including intergenerational trauma as a result of residential schools that have negatively impacted their learning.  Many students struggle with FASD, ADHD, ODD and learning gaps due to poor attendance.

Course Timeline

Classes will be held for 32 minutes three times during a six day cycle. Each lesson is estimated to take two classes but can be adapted or modified to suit the students needs.

Rationale for Design

By providing the students with an opportunity to complete their unit through Google classroom will allow them to participate in class even though they are not physically in the building.  Hopefully this easy laid out class will give the students confidence and build their skills in our ever-advancing technology-based learning.  Introducing more technology into the classroom may make learning more engaging thus increase the number of outcomes that a student can complete in a year. 

The reason for choosing Google Classroom was to increase my knowledge in using the platform.  As an administrator many of our teachers in our building use this LMS and I felt the need to understand how it works.  Will it be the best choice for Grade 2? I believe it will be comparable as long as I methodically build the course.

Course Delivery

I will use the modality of Blended (Hybrid) which allows for students to attend face to face learning or the opportunity for it to be completed at home. This unit will be presented through the LMS system of Google Classroom.  There will be no group instruction for this unit, if the students are physically at school they will log into google classroom and follow the easily laid out structure for the lesson and if they are at home they will complete the lessons from home asynchronously.   Students that are in school will receive help individually from teacher when they require help and if the students are at home there will be a set time for students or parents to reach out for help.  Many other types of technology will be pulled in through the Google Classroom platform.  Some of these may include but are not limited to edpuzzle, google meet, PowerPoint, epic reading, and jam board.

Course Materials

Cute mixed race pupils in computer class

  • Computer for each student
  • Headphones for each student
  • Access to google classroom
  • Flexible seating in the classroom

 

 

Learning Outcome and Indicators

USC2.2 Determine how healthy snacking practices influence personal health.

a. Develop a common understanding and use of respectful language used to talk about snacking (e.g., diet, food, preferences, likes/ dislikes, energy, healthy/unhealthy, sugar, portions).

 b. Investigate the role food and water play in being healthy (e.g., food – energy; vitamins – growth; water – 2/3 of one’s body composition, regulates body temperature, eliminates waste).

 c. Discuss how to determine if a snack is healthy/unhealthy (e.g., reflect on what is known, gather information).

d. Examine, sample, and describe (i.e., taste, look, smell, feel, sound) a variety of healthy snacks.

 e. Investigate benefits of healthy snacking (including but not limited to growth and development, increased concentration, healthy weight, improved oral health).

f. Illustrate how healthy snacking provides sustained energy throughout the day.

g. Examine why people choose particular snacks (e.g., culture, cost, preference, availability, media).

h. Recognize a variety of snacking patterns (e.g., three meals/day with a few snacks, times of day/night for snacking).



i. Examine personal preferences for snacking (e.g., class survey).

Guiding Questions/ Unit Lessons

  1. What are healthy foods?
  2. What is the role of food and water for our bodies?  Thinking child boy on black background with light bulb and question marks. Brainstorming and idea concept
  3. How can we describe foods?
  4. What are the benefits of healthy snacking?
  5. Why do we eat certain foods?

 

 

Special Considerations

  • If students do not have technology at home our division has been lucky enough to be able to supply students with laptops or iPads to support online learning if the students are unable to be in school.
  • We have also been able to supply students with Wi-Fi hotspots through SaskTel.
  • Some students may require more one on one guidance to make them successful with Google classroom

Attendance

Students that miss class can go on google classroom and catch up on the work asynchronously (before launching this blended learning unit to the students there will be many opportunities for students to familiarize themselves with the use of google classroom). Students will be required to complete each lesson and have an opportunity to meet with the teacher once daily if they have questions via chat through google classroom.

Assessment/Assessment Strategies

There will be many opportunities for students to be assessed. Some options they will have are completing the assignments online, a paper copy of the assignment, conversation with teacher either face to face/online or even submitting a video of their work.  Students will also be assessed on the I can statements that will be represented within the assignments.

Assignments

There will be an assignment for each lesson that students will have to complete.  If they can not complete the assignment online paper copies will be made available depending in the situation.  There will be both summative and formative types of assignments that will be used towards assessment.

Communication Communication will be sent home through Google classroom, along with EDSBY and phone calls home before the unit starts to communicate the new learning tool.

3d man holding phone