LMS Email

Dear Parents,

As we approach the 2020-2021 school year, there are multiple uncertainties. Will we be teaching and learning full time in the classroom? Will we be learning full time at home? Will we begin in the classroom and at some point, need to transition to remote learning? Knowing that this year will be a rollercoaster for us, I knew there would be one piece of the puzzle that could be certain. This year, we will be using the Learning Management System, Schoology. A Learning Management System in simple terms is a software program that allows schools and educators to deliver learning content and communicate with both parents and students. After researching and exploring several different Learning Management Systems, I am confident that Schoology is by far the best choice for Rockford Public Schools. Schoology will support our teaching and learning both in the classroom and remotely.

To begin with, the Schoology platform will allow for easy communication among teachers, parents, and students. As a parent, you will be able to download the Schoology App to make this even more accessible. Schoology is amazing and allows me to push out assignments directly through the site. I can send students Google docs and slides and it will automatically assign each student their own copy. Students can then complete the assignment and turn it into me with one simple click. I can also send the students Youtube videos that support their learning in multiple areas of our curriculum. This will help to keep them engaged and will also help support learning remotely.

There are a few other reasons that make me extremely excited to use Schoology. Schoology has an App Store that is filled with apps that Rockford’s school district already supports. We will easily be able to continue our use with Scootpad, McGraw Hill Math, Google Drive, and EPIC! I am thrilled that all of these EdTech tools will make our learning organized and effective both in the classroom and at home. It makes me, as an educator, feel confident that my students will thrive and be supported whether we are in the classroom or learning at home.

My hope is that we will at least begin our school year in the classroom. This will allow me to model how to use Schoology with the students and set them up for success if we end up switching to remote learning throughout the year. I also plan to make several “how-to” videos using Screencastify where I can easily walk parents through how to use Schoology. I want parents to feel confident as well! When we are all on the same page and we all understand the platform, we have a much higher opportunity for student success! I know the school district will also be providing training for families and technical support shall you need it.

I am confident that Schoology will be amazing for our class and school! Together, we will overcome all the obstacles that the 2020-2021 school year will bring.

I look forward to partnering with you!

Miss Scheidel

ISTE Blog Post - Week 1

As I began my work this week in EDU643, I found myself excited! One thing that I am extremely passionate about as an educator is design. Lesson design, website design, worksheet design, Google slide design, and the list goes on. I know that design is a big idea for this course, and the work this week already gave me a taste of that.

We learned a lot about the ISTE standards in EDU590. This week the collaborator standard jumped out at me when we were split into breakout rooms while using Zoom for our Tuesday night class meeting. During our time together, we collaborated by adding our problems and solutions with social presence during online school to a Google slide.

On the other hand, I discovered one program that really does not meet the ISTE standards well. While completing a Social Presence Analysis table, I discovered that although I used Loom (a video recording program) a lot for online teaching, it doesn’t necessarily contribute to social presence or meet the ISTE standards. If I really stretch, I could say that Loom meets the facilitator standard. However, I don’t feel that the program itself meets strands 6a-6d. It is instead, HOW the teacher uses Loom, and what they say during their videos that helps to meet these standards.

I do believe that the ISTE Standards are flexible enough to support learning that happens in a face-to-face setting as well as online. However, it is going to require the teacher to stretch their thinking on what programs they are using and how they are using them.

#EDU643 #week1

Ed Tech Tool Analysis - Pear Deck

Third graders at Rockford Public Schools have the opportunity to read Because of Winn Dixie at the beginning of the school year. The story of Winn Dixie teaches children about characters, how they can connect to them, and the specific traits they exemplify. In a typical face to face learning experience, students will listen to the story read aloud to them and then connect to the characters and empathize with them. This offline learning experience fosters social presence because students are able to communicate with one another about their thoughts and ideas. The teacher is able to sit alongside the students to provide clarity, ask clarifying questions, and probe for deeper-level thinking.

If I was to implement this lesson using a fully online design I would definitely incorporate the tech tool, Pair Deck. Pair Deck is a Google add-on that allows the teacher and students to view the same Google slideshow and communicate along the way. The teacher provides the student with a code that they type into the Pair Deck website. Once they are viewing the slides, the teacher has complete control and they can only see what the teacher is seeing (they cannot go ahead). The teacher can program questions that require a response from each of the students. There are several types of responses the teacher can program and use with the class. A few of these include short answer, multiple-choice, and drag and drop. The teacher is able to see instant feedback from the students. The teacher then has the ability to share that feedback with the entire group if applicable to the lesson.

I would begin the lesson by using Zoom or another face-to-face meeting platform. We would begin the lesson as we always do by introducing our purpose for the lesson. In student-friendly language, “What are we learning today?” I would then read chapter 5 of Because of Winn Dixie to them as they listen along. At the end of the chapter, the students would complete the Pair Deck short answer response: “How does Opal feel? What causes her to feel this way?” Once the students are complete, I would share out a couple of the responses and use those responses to foster further communication between the students.

Pear Deck fosters the elements of Social Presence because it easily incorporates all the students without making them feel uncomfortable. I also think it helps connect the students to the teacher and keeps them engaged. The class feels like a community because they are all working on answering the same questions and then having conversations around those questions. Finally, the teacher can meet the needs of individual students by having individual 1:1 conversations with them during conferring time if needed.

Click here to learn more about how Pear Deck fosters the various elements of Social Presence.

#EDU643 #Week1