Effective technology integration (Artifact 1: Designing a PBL unit)

 Artifact 1

Designing a PBL Unit

One of the most rewarding assignments was creating a PBL unit. It was beneficial for me because it reminded me of how detailed a unit can be and reinforced the basics I needed to review since I started teaching. I have been teaching for 15 years and this helped me update my lesson and bring technology into my lesson a bit more. 

I have always wanted to try and set up my students with an electronic pen pal from Mexico and creating this PBL helped me organize this unit. It is an authentic way to get my students using the target language in a practical way while learning about other cultures and traditions. The main focus will be immigration and it will give my students from the United States a new perspective. 

I was really excited to start this project but quickly found out the amount of work it took to create a unit. Even though it did take time I found it very rewarding and I'm looking forward to starting this unit this year. What I found most rewarding but the most work was the performance task. I loved creating the assignments and had fun looking for ways to keep the students engaged. I also got excited because immigration is a big part of my life since both my parents migrated to Mexico as teenagers. 

Artifact 2

Grant Writing

An assignment that I thought was practical was writing a grant. Teaching at a school that does not have much resources this is an essential aspect of teaching in my district. As I started researching I had no idea the amount of options for grants that are available. I also did not realize how detailed they would be to fill out. 

This assignment also helped me realize how expensive and overpriced certain apps are. I understand the amount of work that goes into creating these applications but some are just way overpriced. Even though some are overpriced I still think some applications are worth the price. I decided to write my grant on 2 applications the students can use at school and at home on their own time to practice. 

The most difficult part of the grant application was trying to not be over wordy. Most applications only allow 100 words per section. I had to be concise and to the point to prove I needed the apps. I never thought writing less was going to be that difficult but it turned out to be the hardest part. 

I look forward to applying to this grant and using it in the classroom.