My Story
For 8 years, I have been teaching and collecting the world’s largest tree remains and in return, letting my students begin their own tree collection. My school day begins at 8:15, and since I coach, it ends at whatever time a parent feels the need to come and pick up their child after running errands. One day, I had a 30-minute breakfast duty before starting school, followed by an 8-hour workday, a conference with a parent during my only off block, a game to drive to that was an hour away with a bus full of hormonal teenage girls, coach a volleyball match that lasted an hour and a half, all to return to my classroom later that night at 9:40pm to see an overwhelming stack of papers on my desk to be graded. For me, taking work home was not an option; therefore, I stared at the stack from my door debating in my mind to either be a T.O.Y. (teacher of the year) and grade them all: leaving smiley faces, kind remarks, critical comments, etc or…. take my arm and slide them all into the recycle bin by my desk and pretend like I never had received them. “Is this what my life had come to?” was the only thought that continuously floated through my mind. Needless to say, I left the papers, turned the light off and went home to vent. My sister, being the tech savvy person she is, simply looked at me and said, “E, why don’t you have an online classroom? You can grade from home, in between your games, or while you are riding on the bus so that you don’t have to worry about it taking over your desk?" A simple question, followed by 3 examples changed my entire outlook towards creating and turning in assignments.
The Plan
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<<<<------------------B.C. Before Canvas
A.C. After Canvas--------------------->>> |
What Worked?
After reading all the articles, peer reviews, and visiting the Canvas website, it is very clear that online classrooms rank high in education. It many instances, having a solid well-thought out plan enhanced results. Appealing to the hearts and emotions of the audience was another key factor in creating a sense of urgency; however, is was the call to action that truly engages individuals. Did the presenter capture the audiences' attention enough to make them change their habits from the status quo to an idea that has the potential to be great and more effective.
The research that was conducted on implementing mobile phones really captured my attention The set of articles that really captured my attention was the ICT in Innovative Schools: Case Studies of Change and Impact. Through this series, they visit Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America. They experimented with the implementation of different types of mobile learning and documented what worked, how effective it was, and what could have been done to make it more successful.
The research that was conducted on implementing mobile phones really captured my attention The set of articles that really captured my attention was the ICT in Innovative Schools: Case Studies of Change and Impact. Through this series, they visit Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America. They experimented with the implementation of different types of mobile learning and documented what worked, how effective it was, and what could have been done to make it more successful.
What Could be Better?
The general theme of each case study was better products could have been used, a better action plan could have been in place, or consistency with the implementation could have continued to increase learning, but governments were not willing to invest in continuation.
How to Apply Lesson Learned
After reading case studies, and researching articles of my own, the conclusion I have come to is HAVE A SOLID PLAN! When you plan out option A, create option B, C, and D to be on the safe side because anything can happen. Having information to back up why you feel so passionate about your implementation plan can be a huge game changer for most. Appealing to the hearts and emotions to your audience then captures your attention to really get your point across. Finally, having professional development sessions extended over a period of time will help teachers/organizations become comfortable with the process and how the program/system works.
Implementation is a process, not a one stop visit with the expectation of everyone to take off and run with this idea. Communicate this idea at every chance, reiterate how it will help each individual, and be patient with those learning what you have been researching for months or years.
Implementation is a process, not a one stop visit with the expectation of everyone to take off and run with this idea. Communicate this idea at every chance, reiterate how it will help each individual, and be patient with those learning what you have been researching for months or years.