Thing 10, 20, 30, 40: Final Reflections & What's Next?

It's hard to believe that another school year is coming to a close in a matter of weeks!  This has been a terrific school year that was enhanced by the projects I completed with this learning opportunity.  Although it was difficult to manage my time between work, family and professional development I am very glad that I was a part of this program again this year.  I enjoyed the ability to pick and choose my modules based on my needs - as mentioned in an earlier post I have started a Makerspace Club in my library for 3rd graders.

1 - What did I learn?
I focused on modules that were of interest to me on a personal and professional level.  I used the information about Coding to integrate it into my 3rd grade Makerspace Club and was also able to introduce several Dads/Stepdads to it during our PTA's Guys Night last Friday.  It was as much of a hit with the Dads as it was with the kids - I was able to introduce it to more kids outside of the club.  In fact - at least one child told me that their Dad went home and played on the Hour of Code website after they got home!
 
I also studied the module on makerspaces to enhance my program next year.  I found a lot of great information and books to add to the maker movement in my school.  Through fundraising I will be able to expand the program to move into other areas besides crafts.  I have even heard from my Principal that he has heard some great things about the club which really made my day.  Of course my goal is not to get praise but it certainly helps to hear that my mission of helping the kids is working!

The module about web presence was very interesting and allowed me to learn more about creating a strong, positive presence online that will support my students and teachers needs as well as promote my program.  At the present time, my school website is very simplistic but hopefully this summer I can update it.

The other module I worked on was Digital Tattoo and Digital Citizenship which interestingly enough was a topic my Principal just approached me about coteaching with our school psychologist.  I always teach cybersafety in the fall and June to remind kids about being safe online and making smart choices in what they do online, however, with the information I learned in this module I will be able to enhance my lessons.

2 - What's next?
As I mentioned above, all of the projects I learned of in the modules I studied are either being used in my current school year or they will be added to my lessons next year.  I really enjoyed being able to pick and choose what I wanted to learn so that I could customize the program to my particular needs.  I am already in the process of sharing the digital tattoo and citizenship materials with my Principal and school psychologist not only for next year but also for potential parent nights to educate our student's families on these topics.  From what I have gathered in many of the conversations I've had with the kids (and from my own personal experience) many people are unaware of the consequences of their actions online.

Also, my department will be looking in to creating a curriculum for ourselves to integrate into our lessons throughout the school year.  I was aware of the Common Sense website but was very happy to see others as well.

My personal professional development this summer will be enhancing my makerspace club, updating my website and learning more about differentiation.

3 - Did you like learning this way?
I loved learning this way!  As I've gotten older my schedule has become crazy with work and family I enjoy having the flexibility of choosing when I can complete the assignments and also in choosing how many I will complete.  Although this year was crazy I still found the time to learn something new and that could be used directly with my job.  The topics were terrific and it was very nice to be able to pick those topics that would benefit me the most at this particular time.  Some of the topics really didn't fit into my program at this time so I was glad to be able to focus on those that were relevant.

This is the second time I participated in this program and I would certainly do it again!  One thing I really would like to share is a recent discussion with my Principal about safe internet searching for our students.  I have been trying to steer them away from using Google due to the inappropriate content and my Principal asked me to share the safe sites with all of the classroom teachers so that we can provide a united front.  It was really nice to be able to provide a list of search engines from Thing 9 to all of the teachers - most were unaware of the fact that these existed!

Thank you Polly for putting this program together with such relevant topics!  I look forward to returning next year to learn more.  Enjoy your summer!