The two artifacts I choose were the Genius Hour Project and the Lesson Plan Unit Design. Both were projects that were completed over several weeks and took a lot of time planning, organizing, and implementing. With both projects I was very proud of the final product and both taught me something new.
Lesson Plan Unit Design:
In the past I have been using a similar template that was shared with me to design lessons. It is from a previous class and is called the PACE template. The Unit template from this course was more geared towards e-learning and highlighted some aspects that need to be considered when preparing lessons for e-learning, such as which online tools to use. The design of the lesson made me think thoroughly how to design a lesson with no face-to-face instruction. Considering we definitely are not going back to a traditional classroom, the unit design will benefit me greatly for the upcoming school year. I will take my PACE template and integrate some of it into the Unit template. I especially liked the Checklist that I created for students, so students can make sure they complete the assignments in order.
The unit itself was a lot of work and I invested tremendous amount of time in it. As with everything, if you do it correct from the start, the outcome will be positive. Looking back on this assignment, I made some great improvements to an existing curriculum and am planning to go back now to revisit the other chapters that I will teach this year.
The hardest part of this artifact was giving feedback to a classmate/colleague. I always welcome feedback to see what I can do better in my lessons, but I have a very hard time giving constructive criticism to anyone. What made it more difficult, was not knowing the content.
My Genius Hour Project:
This assignment was the biggest project I ever had to do for a class and finishing it was just a huge accomplishment on a personal and professional level. Even though the Unit design was also something I was very proud of, this was different. It was a project that I was able to share with my family, friends and colleagues and the responses I received were just amazing. People were just more interested in this project than if I would talk about my Unit Plan! The Genius Hour Project was something that could identify with. That is the big take away I have with this assignment. Taking this back to the classroom I want my students to find something that they are excited to share with their peer group and their peer group is interested and just as excited. What kept me on track was the weekly “check-ins”. If I didn’t have to keep a weekly blog, I may have waited until the end of the class to finish it within a week. This helped me stay organized and not overwhelmed.
On a personal note – my daughter, who really does not have a hobby and thinks she is not good at anything, was one of my biggest cheerleaders with the Genius Hour Project. She worked alongside me and finished the other wooden patio furniture set that we still had. She is planning on moving out over the next few weeks and already has a patio set that she can take along. I have never seen her so involved in anything, especially with something that can get a little messy (she is somewhat of a princess!). She now refurbished our mailbox post as well.
Don't doubt yourself, Maria. There's always going to be something new to learn; yet with an open mind and growth mindset like you have ... it'll work out. Keep being open to learn new technologies and ways of teaching and you will lead your students to success!
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