Module 7: Learning Managment Systems
Part A: Setting Up My Haiku Classroom
Below is a screen shot of my Haiku Classroom Page for a fourth grade social class, it contains mock up teaching material on stories and why they are important. Unfortunately, if you are viewing this and are not part of the Edu210 Winter 2015 class you will not be able to view it using the linked image below. If you are, you should be part of my class roster already and I invite you to take the small quizzes and click all over the class page!
Part B: Learning Management System Reflection
Using Haiku proved more difficult than I had expected, although this was mainly due to my inexperience in lesson planning, rather than Haiku’s programing itself. In the end I chose to use the assignments, discussion group, and evaluation features for my mock fourth grade social studies class lessons about the importance of stories.
For assignments, I used two different features. First, I created a Dropbox hand-in folder for students to produce mind maps using the program of their choice. The freedom to create, using whichever program the student is most comfortable with, aids them to create their best work. Second, I created a discussion board. This is a great way for students to practice ethical digital citizenship when posting and commenting online, in a monitored environment. I included the acronym “THINK: True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, Kind” to help develop a THINK before you speak/post habit.
I also created two types of evaluations for my virtual classroom students. The first is a simple terminology-matching quiz; this use of Haiku settles into the Substitution segment of the SAMR model. In an elementary setting, I feel it is necessary to also include some familiar evaluation formats when introducing new technologies to students, making the transition from traditional to digital
classrooms easier. The second is an essay-style exam in the form of a self-reflection. Much like the discussion board, the self-evaluation helps teach students to look back on what they have learned and think about what they have done. I want my students to be excited to talk about their favorite part, making their studies more than something they have to do, but also something they enjoy doing.
Overall, I can see both Haiku and Learning Management Systems becoming not only useful but necessary in the modern classroom. As we read in the Digital Citizenship Policy Development Guide, students today live split in the liminal space between a traditional physical world and the digital domain of social networks, games and resources. Virtual classrooms bring together these two lives to harmoniously enhance learning in our digital age, enhancing the important time they spend in a face –to-face environment.