Modifying Content
The successful online educator:
Augments the course content, as needed, in order to meet the needs of diverse learners and accommodate alternative means of access, and to provide opportunities for learner growth.
Standards:
NSQOT: F4, F6
OTS: 1.1, 2.4, 2.6, 2.7
Reflection: Explain what you have done in your professional experience to address these indicators and include reasoning for why you chose this evidence.
F4
Modifying content is important in being able to meet student need, making the learning experience accessible for all. Some modifications I make are adding screencasts, audio recordings, visual aids and two option assignments within the course. When presenting material I feel less is better, not to overwhelm the student. An example would be a very short screencast to give directions on an assignment, not too wordy, methodical and less than two minutes. I also like to think of presenting in 3’s as in three step processes, something I use in my directions. Layout is also important, including graphs and charts to preparing course content and in giving directions. With images I try to create visuals that grab the attention of the learner but not overwhelm, aware of clashing or amount of bright colors used as well as layout of the picture. For young learners I use larger text and fewer words per page. In all assignments students have the option to do a 3, 2, 1 activity. This alternate assignment asks students to name three words or phrases in Spanish you learned, two things you are going to work on and a question you have.
F6
I feel I am meeting student needs by providing additional content that is enriching and encourages students to explore the Spanish language. Some activities I have created are cultural projects with students learning traditions from Spanish speaking countries, making observations and comparing to their own culture. Students also have the opportunity to share their ideas and interests on these topics in zoom meetings. One cultural project I created was, ‘How do you like your guacamole’ and centered around Cinco de mayo. Students learn about Cinco de mayo, being a celebration when the town of Puebla, Mexico defeated the French (not Mexican Independence Day), that it is celebrated mainly in the US and over 80 million avocados are sold in the US for the celebration. Students also learn food vocabulary and main ingredients for guacamole. Since my young learners most often do not know what guacamole is, I give them a small list of foods in Spanish and ask them to create a recipe and how do they like their guacamole. Another lesson I recently created for my students was matemáticas en español (math in Spanish). For an alternate learning activity students created their own addition math cards to practice saying their numbers. They then made a video recording of themselves going through the math cards, saying the numbers and answers in Spanish. Other modifications I make include Spanish children’s songs, rhythms and catchy tunes to accompany and reinforce the vocabulary words being studied. Students also have print activities they could download, complete, take a picture and submit.
I feel I am meeting the needs of all students by giving then the opportunity to choose what they learn and what they want to create for their assessments.
Where are you now in reaching mastery of these indicators? Explain your reasoning.
Approaching / Meeting / Exceeding
I am meeting the standards indicator by providing options for all activities in my course. Students have choices in what they learn and what they want to tell me they learned. Students can choose from two options in an assignment. The first option is an activity that will have more defined expectations. The alternative is to make a recording in Spanish telling me at least three words or phrases they learned in our weekly zoom session.
Assignment Options with Colors
www.photosforclass.com Creative Commons photos on the site are from Flickr and Pixabay. Citation is within the picture.
Print Option Activities
Assignment Options
Cultural Activity: Cinco de mayo and how do you like your guacamole