"...And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!" -Dr. Seuss, 1990
The wise words of Dr. Seuss rang through my head,
as the speaker, Jeff Utecht said what he said.
He introduced the SAMR model to us students with glee,
as we all focused and listened, intently.
I'm excited to apply such good information,
to my future classroom transformation!
I really like the SAMR Model because it meets teachers where they are and differentiates depending on the individual. What might be modification for one could be redefinition for another. In my future classroom, I intend to implement the SAMR model as I write lesson plans. I want to be the teacher that engages students by transforming lessons and thinking outside the box.
One of the ways I will do that is by setting up a class blog; an idea I got in class, from Jeff. I really like #comments4kids and want to utilize that in my classroom to not only get students to write and share their voice, but also to expand their world beyond their local community. I'd assign each student a day of the month and allow them to write to whatever inspired them. Each month the prompt would change in some way, but always allow for student voice and be a topic that they chose. I'd ask the online community to engage with the blog and comment on my students' posts. Students would be in charge of following up with feedback and maintaining their entries.
I went back and forth on whether this idea fell under the modification or redefinition category, but ultimately decided on redefinition. Posting publicly and receiving feedback from all around the world (potentially) changes the learning process. When the students put their writing out for the world to see, there is more ownership taken in their work. Without the use of technology, students' work would not reach the large audience the web provides.
Oh! I can't wait for all the places my classroom will go...
This is a great way for students to share what they write and to build confidence in their writing. I use to love sharing stories, but as I got older I would get nervous about sharing. Though I still loved getting feedback from teachers (good or bad). I think giving them monthly assignments will help build confidence as the more they share the less intimidating it will be. Also having other teachers commenting gives a wide range of encouragement and ideas for students to grow from.
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