I've got plans...BIG plans!

This week's assignment for Planning and Goal Setting has stirred the brain cells big time! SAMR...Authentic Learning...Backward Design! Video lessons and note taking!  It's more than meets the eye!

I was planning on teaching Point of View with my students after we survived our adventure with NYState ELA testing.  So bringing that standard for learning over to this CLC was an easy enough idea.  POV is another strategy that will promote deeper comprehension of text, so that's the WHY of the lesson.  Little did I know the idiosyncrasies involved with this lesson plan would be so numerous!  I researched the concepts behind POV and browsed for ideas.  Many caught my eye. I would mull it all over in my head on the drive to and from work.  I met with a few mentors and used them as sounding boards as well as asked for and received advice and ideas. So I felt pretty ready to tackle the lesson design!

Making sure to hit all areas of Authentic Learning was easy enough. And Backward Design was doable too!  It was the SAMR part that really made me do some thinking.  And I kept questioning whether my ideas were actually hitting the M and R of the SAMR model.  At this point, I think I have succeeded in reaching those levels with my lesson...although I could be wrong!! But it really made me think and re-think about what I wanted my students to be able to do. The tech side of it all makes you consider so many things.  Was I pushing them beyond the old methods?  As I wrote and revised my plan, I wondered if maybe I was pushing too much?  The transfer part using technology seems intense...I need to teach my students how to make a Google Slide, how to make a Google Form and be able to link it into a slide...how to link a video from Youtube AND an app like ChatterPix Kids or Fotofriend into the slideshow...how to share the work with others in our room and a neighbor's room, and how to give others an opportunity to show response on their slides.  They will need to decide on design and create characters. They will be juggling a few balls on this one! So I've chosen to work with a large group of my highest achieving students to produce this Google Slide Show.  They have been known to teach me a thing or two about technology.  They love being on their chromes and love learning new things on it. So I'm pretty sure I can get them on the tech train easily.  I know in my head what the outcome of such a seemingly big plan could look like....it would be so cool for them!! The silliness and fun of acting like the book characters to convey POV will get them highly engaged. But getting there will be the challenge for us all! I can't wait to start, though!