Module 10 Assignment: Delivery Cycle 2 Progress on Deliverables, continued.
- What you have done?
I first met with my client to review the completed Mitosis Unit and discuss if any changes were needed. The client wanted a minor revision to the Mitosis Classroom Collins writing prompt, which I made. The client then approved of the Google Classroom portion of the Mitosis Unit, and I walked her through the Instructor Notes and files I had added into the shared Drive folder.
My client and I discussed how she wanted the Meiosis Unit set up in Classroom (once again, the students will spend the first week of instructional time collaborating within Classroom, and the second week working more independently in WordPress); she decided on a separate Google Classroom with a different color and theme. While my client watched on her home screen, I changed themes and sourced an image from Pixabay.com for her approval. My client also shared additional science resources, which she wanted me to incorporate into the Meiosis Classroom.
I then created all the Classroom assignments according to my client specification for station activities that aligned with 5E: Rotation Station Introduction (Watch it, Read It); Rotation Station Intermediate (Explore It, Research It); Rotation Station Advanced (Teach It). For each of the stations, I sourced links and videos to embed and created instructional documents for students to open and work online with. I also created another Collins writing prompt for a learning reflection and embedded it for online submission. I set the preferences in the instructor panel to gather responses and provide an analytical summary.
Finally, I worked from the provided resource, which was a prepackaged MS/HS science curriculum license her home district purchased, to create a final summative. I made changes to align with the grade band standards, re-formatted all PDFs, and created the final summative and answer key in both WORD and Google Docs. My client had specified from the outset of the project that PDF formats hindered accessibility for her students due to technology issues. She also indicated that, although the purchased program was a good resource, it was not a good fit for her classroom. I made significant changes in the existing test to improve the flow and align the test with past ODE science assessments.
- What do you need to do?
I still need to create all the WordPress content for the Meiosis Unit. This entails creating a project-based learning experience that supplements the Google Classroom and further engages the students at the elaboration stage of 5E. Furthermore, my client and I agree that the choice-based project should not be the same as in the WP Mitosis instructional media.
Therefore, I need to do some research on evidence-based practice for PBL (meiosis). Then, I have to create the pages in WordPress, create the hyperlinks for navigability, create the instructions, and embed all resources students need to complete their project. The WordPress unit will go deeper into key aspects of Meiosis that are conceptually complex and differentiated from Mitosis. A major concern is to elaborate on the knowledge base and provide differentiated, student-choice learning activities for the students that will prepare them for the final summative.
I also have another meeting scheduled with my client, which will be critical for fine-tuning any adjustments before Delivery Cycle 3 (i.e. completion). My client has been very available for critical questions regarding licensing permissions and log-in protocols, but I have tried to have substantial sub-topics completed for our weekly meetings to maximize what she sees for feedback purposes. Even small things, like the wording of formative/summative prompts, sometimes need to be tweaked to better engage students and reduce potential behavior issues.
Finally, I still have to design another workflow graphic organizer for the Meiosis unit, and embed it into both Classroom and WordPress. I also want to fine-tune the navigability in WordPress once I have added the Meiosis pages.
- How and why you have adjusted your Project Plan?
I am still working my linear WBS, and returned to the original flow of my Project Plan. In mitosis, I had worked backwards, but because of the station-based learning my client requested, I needed to start with that for Google Classroom. Then, I had a solid amount of instructional design for knowledge co-creation by the students to scaffold for the more difficult portion of meiosis (i.e. the sexual vs. asexual reproduction aspects and Mendel’s First and Second Law).
Although the delineation of instructional design, formative creation, and summative creation are quite distinct in my WBS, I have noticed that in reality, they follow a more iterative cycle. By that I mean, I designed a unit sub-topic, created an activity and formative assessment for that sub-topic, then started the cycle again for the next sub-topic. Also, because my client requested a combined mitosis/meiosis final assessment that was offline (meaning she will grade hard copies of the test rather than go with auto-scoring of an online test), that altered my Project Plan.
Finally, as I looked at the Practicum Final Module in Carmen, I noticed that there is a substantial amount of time needed for creating two presentations, two synthesized reflections, and a final paper. Therefore, I started working more hours each day on the instructional design, to move up the phase gates on deliverables and give me more time for the Practicum deliverables.