You can see the initial idea for this project here.
WOW – I can’t believe that I am finally finished my curriculum support document. Please take a look at the guide that I made: DIGITAL MEDIA IN SECONDARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS. And reading the initial idea of this project, I feel like I kept it pretty similar to the original conception. While it evolved a little, it is nothing compared to the wandering journey that some of my classmates took. I’m happy about that – I knew this was something that I felt was important and I’m glad it stuck.
The idea for this project seems like it came to me years ago. But in only four months I was able to pull this together. What is really interesting is as I was doing my final edit, I couldn’t help but notice how much little sprinkles from each class topic just happened to make their way into the final product. There are mentions of generational gaps, and digital citizenship, and fake news, and moral and ethical implications. The most surprising thing about this is that I feel like it wasn’t intentional, and it just sort of happened. I guess that’s how a course like this goes.
Summary:
The goal of this document is to support secondary English Language Arts teachers in assessing and using technological tools and digital media within their own classes.
The document is organized as such:
- Essential Skills for 21st Century Education
- Frameworks for Assessing Technological Integration and Pedagogy
- Connections to Curriculum
- Resource Suggestions
This document takes an assumption that many educators are already comfortable with their curricular area, but may not be comfortable with how digital media can enhance it. The hope is that by developing a thorough understanding of the essential skills for 21st century education, and different frameworks for assessing ones own practice, an understanding for how technology and curriculum can work hand in hand to enhance an educational experience will begin to develop. Who knows, they might even begin to value digital media….
Throughout the development, there was one moment that sticks out as an integral moment in terms of how my project became the final product that it became. As stated in this blog post, I knew that I wanted to emphasize choice in frameworks and choice in activities. I think I was very successful in doing so.
The whole process of making this document was very humbling. As I was creating my suggestions for teachers, I kept thinking to myself how I only have this idea because someone else supported me along the way. I would not be where I am today if it were not for the colleagues and other professionals that I have had the amazing fortune of collaborating with. But hey, that’s what teachers do. We share with each other so that we can better share with our students. And that is my end goal with this document. I hope this document supports you in the way that you need.
PS – If any of you are not ELA teachers, this document might have a few gems for you to pull out.
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