Module 8 Assignment: Delivery Cycle 1 Progress on Deliverables, continued
- What you have done?
I completed the WordPress part of the Mitosis Unit, which is the second week of instructional time. I spent a large amount of time creating the lab handout and answer key, working with resources from not just the shared Google Drive folder, but also finding another video resource that builds upon the one I plan to use in Classroom. By working backwards, from the more complex understandings and detailed choice-based projects, I am more able to build an impactful instructional unit. I also started formatting the Meiosis Unit handout and answer key.
After I had the handout materials done, I uploaded them to both the media library in WordPress and the Google Drive folder. Then, I began writing the choice-based project instructions for each category my client requested—cartoon strip, writing, claymation, and newscast. I started with the cartoon strip instructions, and wrote a simple rubric that would work, with a few modifications, for each project. One thing I wanted to be sure to do was be thorough with the instructions for each category, which necessitated a lot of curation. One of the hardest resources to find were online mentor texts for the writing. Mentor texts provide students with examples of good writing, adding support and motivation to empower student authors.
After I completed each of the choice-based project instructions, I went back to the landing page and revised the instructions there, particularly addressing navigation and workflow. I went back to each page and standardized the layout of the instructions, opting for bullet points and hyperlinks.
Finally, I started designing the Google Classroom by creating the class and writing the day one activity, a jigsaw collaboration for teams of students. The students will be presenting what they learned in a Google Slides presentation as their second assignment, which I also created and found video resources to embed.
I met with my client after sending her the links to preview, and we walked through each part of the Mitosis unit. She wanted a few minor adjustments to the Mitosis Handout, which I did in Docs so she could preview before I re-uploaded into WordPress.
- What do you need to do?
I need to complete the Classroom part of the Mitosis Unit, which is the first week of instructional time. After the Google Slide presentation, students will do a more in-depth activity, a kinesthetic sorting lab to better understand the genetics behind mitosis. I need to create the instructions for that, plus embed a quiz as a formative assessment. To end the first week, the client has requested a a remediation/enrichment activity. I need to finalize those activities and write the instructions.
Additionally, the client said she would need a teacher’s guide for administering the quiz as she is not fully confident in using online scoring.
I also need to review a resource package the client sent me, Kessler Science. The client and I agree that the Meiosis Unit should be parallel to the Mitosis Unit, but not an exact copy of activities. The Kessler Science resource could provide other instructional options. I will be conferring with the client before the final Mitosis Unit deliverable to be sure all of her instructional needs are met.
Once the Google Classroom part of the unit is done, I will embed the WordPress link into Classroom and the Classroom link into WordPress. I think I might embed a graphic organizer for students to follow in either Classroom, or Classroom and WordPress. I have explored various interactive form options, but have not picked one yet. I also am trying to decide on a video response format for students for the next unit. Right now, “Flip Grid” was a strong contender, but was just purchased by Microsoft, so it may not stay available as a free application.
- How and why you have adjusted your Project Plan?
I am working in a linear fashion, but going backwards from the culminating, blended-learning projects to the introductory labs. Also, as I am working in both WordPress and Classroom, I have realized that I want the two units to be parallel in scope but not identical. Meiosis is a more complicated concept, but the instructional time of the unit is the same (two weeks each, four weeks total). This compels me to finish the Mitosis unit a few days earlier than planned, so I can devote enough time to streamline the Meiosis instructions and information.
Additionally, I am formulating an instructional concept for comparing the two concepts, which I had not originally conceptualized in the Work Breakdown Structure. As I go deeper into the resources, I am realizing that a compare/contrast activity would be an effectual assessment strategy and fit the 5E cycle (i.e. “elaboration”). The client asked me to front-load a compare/contrast prompt into the WordPress site, which I did.
Other than the two aforementioned adjustments, I am mostly following my Project Plan. I have been keeping a running entry on my delivery cycle as I work, which has helped me remember the details of each day’s progress. Overall, I am spending more time curating resources that I anticipated, as I found that the choice-based instructions needed to be written from scratch. Luckily, I have many years of classroom experience, and that has been a major positive in the instructional design process. For instance, I have experience doing stop-motion animation with students, so I have been able to be the subject-matter expert on that. Furthermore, I have done integrative art and Language Arts units at my school, so I am familiar with the importance of mentor texts. Otherwise, the design time would be much longer.