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LMS: Blackboard and Moodle
I have used Moodle to teach an entire course online through Jackson High School. Students were not in the four walls of the traditional classroom for the course. With the entire course online, they were able to log in and access course materials from any location. Moodle has also allowed me to move testing for traditional face-to-face classes to an online format. Students receive immediate feedback on their progress, and Moodle makes it easy for students to retest for mastery. Students can revisit their work for review and growth. Teaching with Michigan Virtual Schools has introduced me to teaching online courses using both the Blackboard and Apex LMS. Since becoming a full-time online teacher in 2015, I now teach students from all over the state and beyond! |
An example of a
Moodle unit in Economics
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Augmented Reality with Aurasma
Students in my courses were introduced to augmented reality, and learning was transformed! From word walls to posters to historical documents and textbooks, students and teachers love to see learning come alive with augmented reality. Augmented Reality allows students to express their knowledge with creativity and extend their demonstration of content mastery. |
Click the image to learn about my students' work with Aurasma
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Social Media
Twitter is an incredible tool for developing a Professional Learning Network and becoming a connected educator, but I have also used Twitter with my high school students for several years to send reminders, post notes, and share articles for class. I enjoy participating in regular Twitter chats with any number of professionals, such as #MichEd and #SBGchat. I see applications for many social media platforms and how they can be used in the classroom, including Google+, Pinterest, and Facebook. |
Click the image to see how I used Twitter backchanneling in my classroom
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Google Classroom
Google Classroom makes managing a blended classroom a breeze! Students see assignments immediately and can communicate difficulties with me as they are encountered in the lesson. Students can correct mistakes and resubmit work, giving them the opportunity to reflect on their learning.
Google Classroom makes managing a blended classroom a breeze! Students see assignments immediately and can communicate difficulties with me as they are encountered in the lesson. Students can correct mistakes and resubmit work, giving them the opportunity to reflect on their learning.
Google Forms are my favorite tools for formative assessment and data collection. Google Drive makes student collaboration meaningful. Tools like Goobric and Flubaroo keep blended learning organized and efficient while also providing important data on student performance.
Google Drive makes it easy to offer feedback on student writing
Bring Your Own Device Tools
As a teacher working in an urban district with little classroom technology available, using BYOD systems allows my students to use the technology they have in their pockets.
My students utilize GoSoapBox and Socrative to demonstrate formative learning for specific objectives, engage in class discussion, respond to polls, and analyze images. There are many BYOD tools to provide me with data on student confidence as they work to master objectives. PearDeck makes direct instruction engaging and interactive, while providing me with detailed data about student learning.
Professional Writing
From February - August, 2013, I worked as a freelance writer for Remilon, LLC, the company that created Education-Portal (http://education-portal.com). Text-based articles and quizzes I wrote were used in Education-Portal’s Psychology course and allow students to learn at their own pace online with the goal of testing out of college-level courses.
To view my online portfolio, visit https://andreamckay.contently.com