E. Mitchell's Evaluate 2.1.1 – Data Driven Instruction, Analytics, Reporting Tools Quest

Review the artifacts above on student enrollments and student progress in the course. Then, provide a detailed description of all that this information tells you about the hypothetical course. Include how the teacher might adjust the course in the future based on the previous activity of these students. Document in a reflection on your blog.

Information about student enrollments

When I view student enrollment I get a good sense of the demand of the class.  My course is taken by many students who could not get the f2f version in their schedule or students in which the course is not offered at their school.  I can see clusters of students which gives me a good idea of who is potentially working together on assignments, either in a positive or negative way.  The student enrollment data can also tell me a little about their access to technology based on the region they live.  Additionally, the student enrollment data can allude to structure in the home which one has to be mindful of when communicating with parents.  

Student Progress in the Course

This one is a favorite of mine that I use in communication with parents.  What I notice with my top students is multiple visits to the content modules.  I view it as they are progressively working through the units by previewing the material first, getting a plan of what they need to do and how much time it will take, and then going back to complete the assignment.  Students who adhere closely to my suggested daily schedule trend in this way.  Then I have students who flood the course with their submissions Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of the benchmark due date.  This is obvious when looking at their progress because they tend to access the content minimally, usually understand estimating their time to complete assignments.  When communicating with parents about quality of work, this is a great tool to rely on; some students need to manage their time better. One of the things I wanted to start doing in the future is keeping assignments and content locked until submissions are made.  This could force a student to work on time management to ensure he/she has access to all coursework or exams.  This could also help alleviate a burden with grading; submissions spaced out of the benchmark period usually get more quality feedback than those submitted at the time minute due to the grade report time.  

E. Mitchell's Evaluate 1.1.2 – Quality Feedback Quest

In your blog, provide a student work sample and accompanying feedback that showcases some of the expectations listed above and offers a sound example of quality, authentic feedback. Discuss aspects of the sample that align with the best practices discussed in this quest.

Student Work Sample:

Feedback:

You impressed me with your submission for this assignment girl!!  To begin, I thoroughly enjoyed how you provided a clear identification for each specific brain structure.  This helps establish your knowledge of the function to ensure proper application.  Each application uniquely gives your perspective of driving highlighting all of the ways in which the brain plays a major role in allowing this to happen!

1.      Cerebellum– I like how you apply the role this plays with balance and coordination but also the demonstration of procedural memory! 

2.      Medulla- mastery 

3.      Pons–mastery 

4.      Reticular formation –mastery 

5.      Thalamus – You clearly show knowledge that this is the sensory switchboard for all senses except smell!

6.      Hypothalamus

7.      Amygdala –mastery 

8.      Hippocampus –mastery 

9.      Corpus Callosum–mastery 

10.  Frontal Lobe (which contains the motor cortex) –

a.       Broca’s area (14)  –  Broca's Area controls your "Boca" (if you are familiar with Spanish, this is a great memory aid for the national exam!)

11.  Temporal Lobe: auditory cortex – Easy to remember when you think about the location of your temples =)

a.       Wernicke’s area (15)  -mastery 

12.  Occipital Lobe (which contains the visual cortex) –mastery 

13.  Parietal Lobe (which contains somatosensory cortex) – mastery 

E. Mitchell's Evaluate 1.1.1 – Formative Assessment Quest

How might a teacher employ ways to assess student readiness for course content and method of delivery? To demonstrate this, create a formative assessment in a demo course you are creating. Post a link to the assessment in your blog.

When I first started teaching at GaVS, the AP Psych course was really lacking in formative assessments.  The course really entailed just reading quizzes and papers.  When I redesigned the course, I wanted to incorporate two assignments per unit that ensure students were exposed to certain College Board standards as well as at least one discussion.  Additionally, each unit has a multiple choice as well as written assessment.  One of my favorite assignments has the students work collaboratively to create a pre-school. Their website must be designed as they would advertise to parents about potential students.  They are required to incorporate the contributions of major unit theorists by creating unique activities that would entice a parent to enroll their student.  It is awesome to see what they come up with because many of the activities match what my children do in pre-k!    

Pre-School Assessment
Pre-School Assessment Rubric

E. Mitchell's Create 4.1.3 – Aggregating Lesson Material Quest

Research and identify three tools that can be used to aggregate and present learning material, other than the two mentioned in the lesson. Post findings in your blog and include a brief description and the associated costs.

1.  Schoology - This is free for instructors.  This LMS platform offers a variety of tools that are seemingly user friendly.  Badges can be earned, there is a calendar function, a gradebook and document grader, as well as course analytics to be reviewed.  After reading some of the success stories, this has been embraced in academies and districts desiring to integrate online platforms.  It can also be used at the corporate level for training purposes.

2.  Moodle - I used Moodle years ago when my F2F school was starting to incorporate more online options in class.  I liked the grading functioning as well as online quizzes I could post.  I did not think the layout or color options were appealing.  It was pretty user friendly, but others like SoftChalk are more interactive and aesthetically pleasing.  It can be downloaded for free.

3. Live Binders - This really is a "live binder"---this is an online organizing tool with the ability to bookmark (or binder labels) categories and place within a variety of items.  For education this works for multiple  groups --- parents, administrators, course teams, students. It makes sharing and collaborating easier.    A basic account is free with options to upgrade.    

E. Mitchell's Create 4.1.2 – Principles of Building Portable Learning Objects Quest

Based upon your specific content area, build two high quality, reusable learning objects. After completing the project, post links to the created objects in your blog and explain their intended use.

This would be useful in having students demonstrate a conversation between a client and their therapist.  This would show me students understanding of therapy principles we discuss. This comes from SMS Generator. 

View here.


This is an option to have students label visuals.  Since the national exam is transitioning to more stimulus based items, this would be a good option for review.  This was done using SmartBuilder.

E. Mitchell's Create 4.1.1 – Define and Explain Learning Object Authoring Tools Quest

Based on an understanding of learning object authoring tools, locate five tools–three tools that are free to use and two that are fee/subscription based (note that some web 2.0 tools may also serve as object-authoring tools). Post findings to your blog, as well as an explanation as to how these tools might be used.

Free:

1.  http://www.courselab.com/view_doc.html?mode=home - This one is great for creating simulations.  Though pretty basic, it enables the user to create simplistic animations with easy editing tools.  
2. https://www.easygenerator.com/ - This can be used to design online educational courses.  Seems user friendly and a step-up from powerpoints.  Allows for collaborate but doesn't have all the additional thrills that the paid for sites do. 
3. http://www.authoronpodium.com/podium/ - This offers a listing of collaboration software and analytics software  that could be used in the business setting.  

Subscription:
1. http://www.quicklessons.com/ - Quick Lessons bases its benefits on speed, creativity, and collaboration.  One thing that I think it pretty cool is being to design your own character; almost like an avatar to interact with users rather than just hearing my voice play.  
2. http://www.softchalk.com/ - I have experience with SoftChalk through GaVS .  A couple of years ago I was granted the opportunity to re-develop the AP Psychology course.  I also had the opportunity to do copyright checks in other GaVS courses by going in and using SoftChalk packages.  I felt it was user friendly and allowed for many user interactive activities to be added, like matching and vocabulary reviews.  

E. Mitchell's Create 3.1.3 – Locating Resources Quest

Using the content topic previously selected, locate an image, applicable text, and a multimedia object that apply to the topic. Ensure the resources are cited properly and post these items in your blog with the links.

This comes from http://www.photosforclass.com/search/brain.  Citation is on image.

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

"The hypothalamus is a collection of small nuclei, most of which are involved in basic biological functions.

Brain. (n.d.) In Wikipedia.  Retreived  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain. 

Coser, Thiago.  (2015, May 15) Brain and neural network (3D) [video file].  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyBl1YZqeFw.