When I began this course, I used to think a lesson plan only consisted of learning objectives for students’ clear aims to follow throughout the lesson. Now, I think that lesson plans are a blueprint for what the class would cover, and it would be done efficiently. I also know that lesson plans consist of instructive and appropriate learning exercises and methods used to track a child’s progress. After taking this course, my thinking has totally changed. A lesson plan serves as the instructor's roadmap for leading a class. It typically comprises the objective, the strategy, and a means of gauging the success of the objective. The emphasis in the 21st-century skills classroom is on using questions to promote reasoning, investigation, and critical thinking. Students assess, synthesize, and translate concepts to complete assignments and solve challenges in all courses. Teachers often exhort students to develop their analytical and research skills.

Given access to an online Jeopardy game, students will be able to define the parts of speech while completing answers including examples with a score of 100% on the rubric.

     In objective 1, “Given access to an online jeopardy game” is a condition, students are the audience, “define the parts of speech” is behavior, and 100% accuracy is accuracy. This kind of structure will make it easier for me to determine whether or not my objectives were met at the end of the lesson. This objective would be a way to ensure what was taught has been instilled in their minds.

Given access to a YouTube Video, students will create a chart distinguishing the 8 parts of speech with a score of 100% on the rubric.

   In objective 2, “Given access to a YouTube Video”, is a condition, students are the audience, “Create a chart distinguishing the 8 parts of speech” is behavior, and 100% accuracy is accuracy.

Given access to word-processing software, students create a paragraph using nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections correctly in sentences with 80% accuracy.

     In objective 2, “Given access to word-processing software”, is a condition, students are the audience, “create a paragraph using nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections correctly” is behavior, and 80% accuracy is accuracy. This learning objective will make it easier for students to understand how words fit together to form sentences, which will allow them to write accurate sentences. They'll communicate more effectively if they can build stronger sentences. In addition, I now know that Bloom’s taxonomy levels are conceptually different and are applied differently in each objective.

I used to think visible thinking routines were used as a guide to help students visualize the assignments. Now I think visible thinking routines activate prior knowledge, generate ideas and curiosity, and sets the stage for deeper inquiry. With visible thinking routines, students will develop their ability to express their thinking and generate more insightful connections between ideas via the use of thinking routines. They will feel driven as a result, which will motivate them to share more with one another, leading to a more innovative and cooperative classroom.

I used to think technology was overrated to incorporate in lesson plans because I believed students learned better the traditional way. Implementing technology in the classroom seemed to be more complex for students to learn through. As I started using technology, it allowed me to learn about new things and get a better grasp on complex ideas. I now know that using technology in my class will strengthen the cognitive abilities and learning processes that help students perform better in school. The technology I would incorporate in class would be laptops and using a smartboard. Smartboards will allow the students to adapt to the different learning styles, are interactive, and give teachers the best visuals and materials to help the students. Implementing laptops in my lesson plan can promote better learning, improve computer skills in students, and be essential for deeper learning.

I used to think good productivity tools were difficult to use. I did not understand how to navigate through google until I enrolled in this IDT course which made it very discouraging. I now know that google productivity tools are very easy and useful for students and teachers. I would incorporate the google productivity tools to communicate with students. Google docs will be used to permit students to collaborate on a project at the same time, utilize peer editing, and receive real-time feedback.  Through the use of comprehension questions, animated cartoons, SoundCloud, and Adobe Spark, we may diversify our assessment such that certain students can produce movies to show their understanding of the course.

I used to think ISTE standards were the same as the content standards until this course helped me differentiate between them. The content standards, technology, and  ISTE* standards have to align with the lesson plans to ensure that it is produced and given clear instructions for students to follow. Having ISTE standards will give the skills for learning, teaching, and leading in the digital age, offering a thorough road map for the effective use of technology in classrooms around the world. I used to think 21st-century skills were not needed but now I know that 21st-century skills help students become resilient, deliberate, creative, and self-assured learners who appreciate the significance of teamwork to enjoy a high quality of life, career, and relationships.

Thank you Dr. Murdock and Dr. Phillips for having given clear instructions, having clear expectations, and open communication. I must admit I used to think this class was going to be very demanding and hard but now I know students just read the modules carefully and submit assignments ahead of time. You two have done an amazing job teaching this course. Thanks for exposing and introducing me to everything that was taught this semester. All modules were very interesting and engaging. I am looking forward to applying these tools to my teaching journey.

IEnglish Language Arts. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tn.gov/education/article/english-language-arts-standards 3.2 - How to Write Learning Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy. (2014, December 22). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DgkLV9h69Q

ISTE - International Society for Technology in Education - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/

Lynch, E. (2016, March 22s). Home. YouTube. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/think-puzzle-explore-visible-thinking-routine-a-professional-development-series

P21. (n.d.). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved June 25, 2017, from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework