Learning Outcomes

Aligning the stars and intertwining: Aligning the Learning Outcomes to the Innovation Plan.

Aligning the outcomes with assessments and activities connects them back to the innovation plan. The most significant part of this process is through connecting the dots. Fink (2003) said when we design a course, we begin by gathering information first on how the course will be taught, followed by engaging in teacher-student interactions as the course is designed and implemented. To begin the process, the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) must be given some thought of with the end in mind. The BHAG for the course is: learners will have the skills to utilize an e-Portfolio to track their writing progress throughout their primary-secondary school years.

After considering the BHAG, the process of backward design began.

Fink (2003) defined the “Backward Design” process as starting with the end in mind and working back towards the beginning. I knew what my BHAG was through the connection of my innovation plan, my literature review, and the proposal letter–aligning the activities and assessments to coincide with the innovation plan is necessary.

References

Fink, L.D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Jossey-Bass.

Learning Environment & Situational Factors to Consider

Specific Context of the Teaching/Learning Situation

How many students are in the class? Is the course primary, secondary, undergraduate, or graduate level? How long and frequent are the class meetings? How will the course be delivered: live, online, blended, flipped or in a classroom or lab? What physical elements of the learning environment will affect the class? What technology, networking and access issues will affect the class?
- Primary-Secondary
- Delivered: Live
- Physical elements: sitting
- The issues that might affect the class will be a mixture of technology and networking. This will totally depend on how many chromebooks or computers will be available and the access of the internet.

2. General Context of the Learning Situation

What learning expectations are placed on this course or curriculum by: the school, district, university, college and/or department? The profession? Society?
- Learning expectations by the school district: The learning expectations set by the school district are the learners will implement technology into the classroom and be able to progress monitor themselves.
- This connects back to the innovation plan through implementing e-Portfolios in the Reading/Language Arts classroom for a more tech-driven environment in all grade levels.

3. Nature of the Subject

Is this subject primarily theoretical, practical, or a combination? Is the subject primarily convergent or divergent? Are there important changes or controversies occurring within the field?
- Practical applications in which students could utilize for other courses.
- Divergent
- Teacher attitudes and beliefs, as well as students thinking they won’t be able to utilize or create an e-Portfolio.

4. Characteristics of the Learners

What is the life situation of the learners (e.g., socio-economic, cultural, personal, family, professional goals)? What prior knowledge, experiences, and initial feelings do students usually have about this subject? What are their learning goals and expectations?
- Life situation of the learners’ and family life is within the low socio-economic status.
- Higher learning/Gifted and Talented students might enjoy this, while others might view this as too difficult to handle.
- External factors like parents, so their attitudes and belief perceptions could end this type of project.

5. Characteristics of the Teacher

What beliefs and values does the teacher have about teaching and learning? What is his/her attitude toward: The subject? students? What level of knowledge or familiarity does s/he have with this subject? What are his/her strengths in teaching?

Teachers will have already perceived attitudes and perceptions about utilizing technology, which will be a barrier.
- Teachers who are older and have been in teaching longer could be against this type of advancement. This could be a barrier.
- Teachers who are younger and far advanced in technology could be more willing to do this program.
Teacher won’t know where to start or how to start, so he/she will need the professional development/workshops to begin this project.
Teachers will have little familiarity because they won’t want to utilize Google Sites, which could hurt the students.
Strengths is classroom management and utilizing collaborative style.
Professional development will be needed for teachers to teach effectively:
- Trainings such as using Google Sites and importing scans into Google Sites.
- Importing writing from Google Classroom.
- Connecting Google Drive to Google Site.
- Creating a Google Site
  - Training(s) like this will be needed for teachers for continuous growth implementation.

References

Ada, S., Tanberkan S. H., & Elkonca, F., Karakaya, I. (2016). Views of academicians, school administrators, and teachers regarding the use of e-portfolios in transition from elementary education to secondary education. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 16(2), 375–397.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. random house.

Er, E., & Kim, C. (2017). Episode-centered guidelines for teacher belief change toward technology integration. Educational technology research and development, 65(4), 1041–1065. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45018714

Questions for Formulating Significant Learning Goals

"A year (or more) after this course is over, I want and hope that students will have a way to view how much of their writing has improved over a year.”

My Big Harry Audacious Goal (BHAG) for the course is: that learners will have the skills to utilize an e-Portfolio to track their writing progress throughout their primary-secondary school years.

Foundational Knowledge

What key information (e.g., facts, terms, formulae, concepts, principles, relationships, etc.) is/are important for students to understand and remember in the future?

Learners need to understand and remember the steps to develop authentic technology skills for their own personal use and post-secondary success.

What key ideas (or perspectives) are important for students to understand in this course?

The ideas and perspectives important for students to understand in this course is to have the base knowledge and development of building an e-Portfolio. Learners also need to understand the role the Growth Mindset plays when monitoring their own work. They will in the end have developed the necessary skills for their own growth.
Teachers will also have the necessary skills when it comes to teaching students how to build an e-Portfolio from scratch. Teachers will also have to have a Growth Mindset as they go through this process.

Application Goals

What kinds of thinking are important for students to learn?
- Critical thinking, in which learners analyze and evaluate: This is important since students will evaluate their own writing and view how far they have come in their writing.
- Creative thinking, in which learners imagine and create their Google Site and craft it into their own.
- Practical thinking, in which learners solve problems and make decisions: Learners will need to make decisions for their website and the changes that will be made if anything comes up.
- What important skills do students need to gain?: Students will gain technology skills to broaden and sharpen their creative technology skills.
- Do students need to learn how to manage complex projects?: Students do need to learn how to manage complex projects, especially with deadlines.

Integration Goals

What connections (similarities and interactions) should students recognize and make…:
- Among ideas within this course? Students will view the relationship between the idea of progress monitoring their own writing and the importance of tracking their own work.
Among the information, ideas, and perspectives in this course and those in other courses or areas?
- Depending on their career pathway and other future courses, they will have the background knowledge in designing their own work. It could open up doors for them as they move forward in the education journey.

Among material in this course and the student's own personal, social, and/or work life?:
- Students will recognize how much progress tracking they will do in their work/school life and the importance of their writing skills. Understanding the connection of implementing an e-portfolio to a post-secondary life is a crucial connection to make.

Human Dimensions/Caring Goals:

What could or should learners learn about themselves:
- Students will learn they have technology skills, and they will view how much they have grown in their writing from Kinder through the grade level they were in.
What could or should students learn about understanding others and/or interacting with them?
- Students could possibly learn that everyone needs a Growth Mindset at writing and everyone starts from scratch. As for interacting with others, they will learn that for some it comes to them easily, others not so much. Students will also see that for one to get better at writing, they need to have that one-on-one conference with teachers.
What changes/values do you hope students will adopt?
- Feelings?: I hope learners gain a sense of accomplishment after they completed their Google Site and scanning in their writing from their elementary years.
- Interests?: I hope learners gain an interest in technology for the future.
- Values?: I hope learners value their writing skills even more and view it as a Growth Mindset skills in seeing how far they’ve come in their learning and growing themselves.

“Learning-How-to-Learn" Goals

What would you like for students to learn about: While learners may not fully understand the concept of Choice, Ownership, Voice and Authentic learning (COVA), they will be fully implementing the process as they are going through creating their e-Portfolio in Google Sites.
- How to become a self-directed learner of this subject, i.e., having a learning agenda of what they need/want to learn, and a plan for learning it?
  - Since students will be creating their own Google Site, they will need to plan what they want to get done during the six weeks they are creating their e-Portoflio. They will also have make their own choices of what to do within the amount of time they have. A check list will be provided for them to use as an outline for each six weeks as a monitor tracking sheet.

References

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. random house.

Harapnuik, D. & Thibodeaux, T. (2023). COVA: inspire learning through choice, ownership, voice, and authentic experiences. Learner's Mindset Publishing

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