Michelle+Vasquez+Portfolio

=E2T2 Portfolio Page for //Michelle Vasquez//=

Summary
//Students are divided into travel teams where they will journey across the United States. As a group, they will conduct research about states to find out historical information. They will use Google maps and plot points of interest, writing a description and including images. Students will work on solving real world problems; they will be given a budget as they travel to pay for a vehicle, gas, hotels, and food.//
 * //See the USA//**

//**See the USA - Google Maps**// //Students will use Google Maps as a part of their See the USA project to calculate the distance for their daily travel, to plot their points of interest, they will import images or videos and write a 30 to 50 word description about their points of interest.//

Summary
After reading about the history of Latin America, students will take the dates and events and create an interactive timeline using one of two options: Read, Write, Think, or xTimeline. Students will log onto the wiki to get the directions for the lesson which give them the links to the two websites.
 * //Interactive Timelines//**

Shared Lessons, Units, and Resources

 * ~ Daily Lessons ||~ Instructional Units ||~ Other Related Resources ||
 * || [[file:Michelle Vasquez See the USA E2T2.docx]] || media type="file" key="Google_Maps.mp4" width="300" height="300" ||
 * [[file:Michelle Vasquez Google Maps.docx]] ||  ||   ||
 * [[file:Michelle Vasquez timeline.docx]] ||  || Latin American timelines from Social Studies wiki ||

Blog Entries
Professional Reflections rss url="http://mlvasquez.edublogs.org/" link="true" number="10"

//See The USA Blog// rss url="http://seetheusa.edublogs.org/" link="true" number="10"

[|Mrs. Vasquez Social Studies Wiki]

Student Work Samples
See The USA Google Maps media type="googlemap" key="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?t=h&ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=201349873545227962689.00049751f5c8da65400ac&ll=36.527295,-100.107422&spn=7.187898,51.147764&output=embed" width="425" height="350"

//See the USA Student Blogs// rss url="http://seetheusateam26.edublogs.org/" link="true" number="10"

See the USA Student Work

__Interactive Timelines__ Heather's time line

__Summative Narrative__
Through participating in this program, I re-learned the value of planning for questions when students are learning a new activity. I also learned the importance of having various learning activities. When students are experiencing new learning, it’s important to anticipate questions they may have to help them. I found that if I have the answers to many questions, it is easier to teach the new information. Although students are “digital natives”, there are many 21st Century Learning and Web 2.0 tools they are not familiar with. Anticipating their questions will help them navigate through the Web 2.0 tools that I am asking them to learn.

I think my students experienced a higher level of motivation when we used the news tools. I began to use a wiki on a regular basis, so students got into the habit of checking the wiki for the day’s instruction. I planned activities using technology as much as possible and when the lesson required students to read from the text, electronically, versus print product they we very motivated and excited to complete the daily task. When I asked students to use the comment section of the wiki to answer questions, the level of participation increased significantly as opposed to writing in their binders.

After participating in E2T2, I am trying to find ways to use the 21st Century leaning tools as much as possible. When students saw the change in their assessments, I think they were as excited as I was to see their growth. This strengthens my resolve to use technology as much as possible for motivating and engaging students. One of the best parts about doing this grant and allowing students to use technology was the growth they showed and the level of motivation they had. Many students would make blogging or checking the wiki a priority. Many of them valued the real-life experience they had while traveling across the United States. They really took their roles seriously and it was fun to hear their discussions about what they were going to eat (fast food or sit down restaurant) and what type of motel/hotel they would stay in for the night. They even had to decide which type of vehicle to rent for their road trip, an economical car, mid-size vehicle, or a gas guzzler.

Literature Review
//Reinventing Project-Based Learning// by Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss provided ideas that helped me plan my technology lessons. On of the things that I found useful in the book were the “your turn”, “spotlight”, and the “technology focus” sections. These sections were helpful because they gave me ideas when I was planning. I also liked Chapter 6, “Project Launch-Implementation Strategies” because it gave me ideas for the classroom. One thing in particular, is letting students teach others. When a student was able to master a skill, they were able to help other students. This made the lessons and practice stronger because I couldn’t be everywhere and these students became the teachers. There were times when the students could explain to another student in ways that I could not.

This book did change some aspects of my educational philosophy. Usually, when students are talking they are not on task or on topic. Allowing students to teach other students became an important part of our routine. This was a change for me because I hadn’t normally allowed kids to have discussions when I wanted them to be working independently until I realized the learning that was actually taking place.

I don’t believe the book was insufficient in any way, but it did encourage me to seek other resources. I checked out a book from the professional library, //Differentiating instruction with technology in middle school classrooms, // which had a really useful section on Social Studies. This book introduced me to interactive timelines, which became one of my lessons for E2T2. The students and I really enjoyed creating interactive timelines, especially when you could add images that made your timeline come to life. I know that I will continue to look resources they provides ideas for differentiating as well as reference this book when I need a reminder of all the Web 2.0 tools that are available. If nothing else, reading this book has increased my thirst for being my subject to life for my students.

This book allowed me to increase my impact on student learning by promoting professional leaning communities. I have always liked the idea of collaborating with other subject, but the unit project I did with my students allowed students to practice in multiple subjects. I couldn’t agree more when one of the teachers from the book stated there doesn’t seem enough time for teachers to work together and “develop collaborative projects”[1]. When I try to work other teachers, it is usually for only a short period of time. This time is valuable because it allows us to bounce ideas off each other and then we are able to plan a unit. I just wish we had more time because I think it is important for students to make connections through their multiple subjects.

[1] Boss, Suzie, and Jane Krauss. //Reinventing Project-based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-world Projects in the Digital Age//. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education, 2007. Print.