Online Learning in K-12 Schools

Link to presentation:
http://voicethread.com/share/1279895/

UDL/DI Reflection

I have learned a tremendous amount during Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology. This class served to reinforce my ideas about how math instruction should look in my classroom. I say math because that is our big focus this year. Our math scores are not as high as our reading scores and we want to bring them up. As I have searched for resources and chatted with my social network partner, I have collected many resources to use when differentiating instruction this year. At first the thought of Universal Design for Learning scared me. However, upon learning more and reading all the great resources on the CAST website, I am now more comfortable with the idea. I plan to use the great resources offered by Pearson for reading. I also plan on using the wonderful interactive math web sites I found to have students practice in a fun way. In addition, I will continue to use resources such as Spelling City and others I have used in the past to provide students with alternatives to paper and pencil assignments.

One immediate adjustment I will make is administering pre-assessments for all math topics we cover. I want my students who have already mastered the standard to move on to application problems and projects rather than the continuous practice needed for mastery. I am also looking at adjusting how I assess in science and social studies. I want to include project and performance based assessments in each of these subjects.

Course Reflection

During this course I learned about using a GAME plan as a way to set goals and follow through in accomplishing those goals. While using the GAME plan I learned some valuable lessons. The goals I chose to focus on would be considered long term goals considering it was almost summer and the things I want to try will have to be done in the upcoming school year. This reminded me that while long term goals need to be set, the GAME plan would best be used with students to accomplish short term goals. I also plan on using the GAME plan in conjunction with a KWHL chart in class. After the students have set their learning goal, they can create a KWHL chart to plan on how best to accomplish the goal. I really think the GAME plan will work great with students in all subjects in my fourth grade classroom.

The GAME plan I created focused on two areas of the NETS-T. First, I wanted to involve my parents more through the use of technology. To accomplish this goal, I created a blog that I intend to use with parents and students next year. The main focus of this blog is to post homework assignments and announcements about classroom events. Because I am around the computer so much in the evenings it will be easy for me to check the blog periodically and answer any questions that might have been posed. I have also created an account with PhotoBucket to upload pictures taken in my classroom throughout the school year. In addition, I have decided to go back to using Scholastic to maintain a web page. I am going to try to use both the Scholastic page and the blog, but if I find the blog is doing well, I might just use it instead. Finally, to complete this goal I am going to create an e-mail list so I can send out periodic e-mail reminders to parents. I have done this in the past and it was a great way to communicate with parents.

The second goal I focused on dealt with adapting my lessons to include technology that will require the students to think more creatively. I have begun searching for resources on the internet to use to make my lessons more interactive for the students. I am trying to move away from me standing in front of the class teaching to students taking a more active role in their learning. I have found some good resources so far and plan on starting in July revamping some of my lessons to use my ACTIVboard more. I have not focused quite as much on this second goal since I wanted to enjoy my first month of summer vacation. I am pretty sure I will be ready to start gearing up for next year within the next couple of weeks.

I have decided to make some adjustments in my teaching practices based on the things I have learned in this class. This class has reaffirmed the need to have students become active instead of passive learners. After creating the problem based lessons, I feel that I will be creating more of those in the future. Because I am self-contained I can create units that are cross-curricular without having to worry about having to work the logistics out with another teacher. I have always thought of teaching this way, but now I have a better understanding of creating this type of lesson and including technology. Overall, this class has given me some ideas for changing my teaching practices that I feel will really open up doors for my students.

Using the GAME Plan with Students

I think using the GAME plan approach with students will be beneficial, not only with meeting NETS-S standards but in many subjects and areas. Using a GAME plan gives students and me a clear focus on what goals need to be met and sets forth a plan for making sure students are working towards those goals. I can see the GAME plan model being used in conjunction with KWHL charts to help students plan their learning and projects.

As far as using the GAME plan model to help students develop proficiency in the NETS-S standards, I would begin by introducing the standards to the students and talking about each one. Next, I would use one of the standards to model writing a goal that students could meet. For example the goal might be, Students will use a KWHL chart to plan a strategy for finding information. This goal would fall under standard three of the NETS-S. This standard is the one my students will be working on the most throughout the year. I will be concentrating on teaching them how to find and evaluate resources. I learned this past year that my students did not have the knowledge to use the internet to find answers to their questions. Therefore, my primary goal this upcoming school year will be to teach them to find and evaluate resources. After writing a goal with the students, we will come up with actions that can be taken to work toward the goal. This will be a goal we will work towards all school year. After a few weeks of working on this goal, we will monitor our progress. At this point, I will ask the students to examine the NET-S again and develop a goal to work towards.

I look forward to using the GAME plan method with my students next year. I plan on using it not only to help students show competency in the NET-S but also with the other subjects I teach.

Revising My GAME Plan

At this time I am still working toward the two goals I initially set forth in my GAME plan. I set two long term goals that I will work on all summer and throughout the beginning of the school year in August. I am continuing to look for ways to incorporate my ACTIVboard into most of my lessons. I am also going to take a course offered by our district on using the ACTIVboard in the classroom. The Promethean Planet web site has a plethora of available resources, including a blog where I can connect with other educators who use the ACTIVboard. I plan on exploring all these resources this summer and enhancing my classroom learning even more.

I feel the way I have approached this GAME plan has been just right for me. Based on my own searching and the great suggestions from my colleagues on here, I have made progress on meeting my goals I set forth. When I complete this GAME plan in August or September I will be ready to focus on another part of the NETS-T.

GAME Plan Rundown

This week I have taken more steps to carry out my GAME plan. Thanks to the suggestion of a classmate, I have signed up for Photobucket. I like this site because I can password protect the albums I create so only parents can have access to photographs taken in my classroom. In fact, I have already created an album of the photos I took last year and will send the information home with my former students at the beginning of next school year.

I have also set up a blog to use as my homework blog next year. I really hope that this idea takes off. I plan on sharing not just homework help, but also post important class notices about upcoming events and due dates. I really hope this turns into a great forum for parents and students alike.

As I mentioned last week, I have found some great flip charts that I can modify to help me meet standards. I have been concentrating my search this week on math. I have found some interactive games I can play with my students that will reinforce the concepts they are to master in fourth grade.

I still have a lot of work to do over the summer to complete my GAME plan. I am going to take the time to rewrite several of my lessons to include the use of my ACTIVboard and make the lessons more interactive. I still have more searching to do to find ways to incorporate my ACTIVboard into my everyday teaching. I would also like to find out how much the ACTIVvotes system costs. This would allow me to give quick multiple choice assessments to find out if my students are comprehending the material.

I think this plan has been great for focusing me on what I need to do to make my classroom more accessible to parents and more interactive for my students. I will continue to work on my GAME plan throughout the summer and into the beginning of next school year.

Continuted GAME Plan Progress

I have started carrying out parts of my GAME Plan. I have made sure to bring home all my pacing guides and resources that I had at school. I have also started perusing the web for resources to use with my ACTIVboard. I have found some great flipcharts that I can customize to meet my needs, especially in language arts and math. One area I have not started working on yet is finding a secure photo sharing web site. I am wondering if any of my classmates have used a photo sharing site with parents and how it worked out. My blog is set up to begin using for next year, but I need to work on creating a letter that introduces the idea to the parents. I also need to add information about the blog to my beginning of the year PowerPoint I share with parents at open house.

After the readings last week and this week, one thing that has come up in my mind is revamping not just my lessons but assessments too. Although I use all four types of assessments, I lean heavily on forced-choice simply because they are easy to grade. As I am revamping lessons I am also going to be finding ideas for more project and performance based assessments.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

Resources: Most of the resources I will need to carry out my GAME plan can be found on the Internet. I need to search for resources to revamp my lessons. There are plenty of resources on the Promethean web site that I can adapt to meet my needs. I also need to be searching for a free secure photo sharing site to use next school year. I will also need to make sure to bring home all of my pacing guides this summer so I can be sure to follow our local guidelines.

Additional Information: I think I have everything I need to begin carrying out my GAME plan. I know what I need to be searching for and most of my GAME plan revolves around me getting in gear and getting things done.

Steps Taken: So far I have not taken any steps toward accomplishing my goals set forth in my GAME plan. Right now I am trying to survive the last two weeks of school and then take a week to rest. After that I plan on working a little at a time to start revamping my lessons to include the use of my ACTIVboard on a more regular basis.

My Personal GAME Plan

In order to educate students for the 21st century, teachers have to move their teaching practices into the 21st century. I have selected two indicators from the National Education Standards for Teachers to focus on. The first one I want to focus on is part of standard two, "Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments" (NETS-T). The specific indicator I want to focus on is "design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity" (NETS-T). My goal is to slowly revamp all my lessons to include the use of my ACTIVboard. In the past I have not used it extensively because it is on a stand and I would have to move it around whenever I wanted to use it. However, next year my board will be mounted so I will not have to worry about that issue. Other than having my board mounted, another action I will take is to spend time this summer revamping a few lessons in each subject. To monitor my goal I will keep track of how often I use my ACTIVboard and whether or not students are participating in the lessons or sitting like knots on logs staring off into space. Finally, to evaluate and extend my learning, I will continue to find new ways to incorporate the ACTIVboard and other interactive technologies into my lessons.

The second indicator I want to focus on falls under standard three, "Model Digital-Age Work and Learning" (NETS-T). Specifically I want to work on "communicat[ing] relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats" (NETS-T). In the past I have shared information with parents via a Scholastic web page. However, this year I started and then let it fall by the wayside. I have several goals for this indicator. First, I want to return to maintaining my Scholastic web site. Second, I want to start a homework blog that both students and parents will be encouraged to use. I spend a great deal of time on the computer in the evenings and would like to use the blog to answer students' and parents' questions about homework assignments. Finally, I would like to take more photos of the great learning happening in my classroom and have an account where I upload them for parents to view. There are several actions I need to take to accomplish these goals. First, I have to remember to update my Scholastic site each afternoon. Second, I have to find a photo sharing site that is secure and free to use. Finally, I have to get the word out to parents about the Scholastic site, the blog, and the photo account. Monitoring my progress is a simple as keeping track of how often I use these technologies. If I am not using them daily, in the case of the Scholastic site and blog, or at least weekly for the photo sharing, I need to evaluate why and consider what I can do to make them more relevant and useful.

International Society for Technology in Education ( 2008). National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Retrieved May 13, 2010 from www.iste.org

Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom Final Reflection

The most striking revelation I had in this class was the sheer amount of literacy skills we need to be teaching students. I do not believe my school is doing a good enough job of teaching our students these skills. Other than the gifted teacher, I do not know of another teacher that has students creating products using technology. In fact, most of the teachers only use the computer lab to take tests. We have to step it up, especially considering I live in Huntsville, Alabama, a city that has scores of technology related industries.

I have learned so much from this class. The part of this class I got the most out of was the readings and resources on effectively searching for information. I have always wanted a better way to teach students how to search and evaluate potential web sites, and this class provided me with those tools. I also realized how critical it is for me to teach students how to evaluate web sites. There are many misleading sites out there and students will be tempted to use the first one they come across instead of taking the time to make sure it is a reputable site. I feel I am much better prepared for next year when I start talking to my students about searching the web for information. Based on the things I learned in this class, I will be starting my year out teaching my students how to effectively search for information. This will help me down the line when we start working on inquiry projects.

I would like to learn more about using programs such as Skype to communicate with classrooms around the world. I hope to set up epals for my students next year. This will be my first step in having my students communicate with other classrooms. I would like to take a professional development class in using Skype if one is ever offered around my district. After having my students communicate via epals, I would like to take that next step of video communication. The media specialist at my school has shown us how to use Skype once, so I will seek out her knowledge to help get an account set up and figure out the logistics of using my classroom. Hopefully by the end of the first semester of next school year my class will be involved in working on a project with a classroom in another part of the country or even world.

Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology Reflection

After rereading my personal theory of learning from the first week of this course, I realize my personal theory of learning has not changed drastically. I have just refined what I now think. I still believe students bring a wealth of knowledge and prior experiences into my fourth grade classroom. It is through their own discoveries and the background knowledge they have that students can make connections and learn the concepts we are studying. This theory of learning most closely aligns with the constructivist view of learning. I have amended my personal theory of learning to also include the theory of social learning. After consideration of this theory I realize that students, as well as teachers, do learn socially. Social learning expands the constructivist point of view to say that students learn and construct meaning through their interactions with others. In addition, I still believe the behaviorist theory works best when dealing with student behaviors and not student learning.

One immediate adjustment I will make in my instructional practice is to start using technology as more of a student learning tool rather than an instructional tool. I use PowerPoint regularly as an instructional tool and I want to now use it as a learning tool. I am going to start having my students construct PowerPoints to illustrate what they are learning. Another technology I want to immediately start using is Voice Thread. It is very user friendly and can be incorporated into lessons rather easily. It will allow students to collaborate through text and spoken comments about a variety of projects, whether the projects are written, video, or audio. There are also a couple of other technologies I want to incorporate into my lessons. My students are already familiar with constructing concept webs and now I want to introduce them to programs such as Webspiration. Webspiration can only enhance what we are doing now and will allow the students to connect the information in both written form and visually through the inclusion of illustrations or pictures. I also want to start including virtual field trips in my lessons. I already try to include video clips from Discovery Streaming into my PowerPoint notes for my students, but I want to start including more visuals to drive home what we are studying. Also, although many of my students have traveled due to their parents being military, they still have not been exposed to many of the wonderful places I can expose them to. These are just some of the great technologies from this class I want to start incorporating into my classroom and lessons. I believe that using these technologies will help turn my classroom into an even more student centered place.

One of my long term goals is to become better at using the ACTIVboard in my classroom. This board, when used "correctly" can be a great way to integrate some of the technology tools we have learned about in this class. Students can create a concept map on the board using Webspiration and it would be a great way for the students to collaborate. I know one of the things that keeps me from using the board as much as I would like is the fact it is on wheels and not mounted in my classroom. When we change classrooms next summer, I am going to ask that it be mounted in whatever room I end up in. That way it is not such a chore to have to get the board situated to use and then move it out of the way again. Another long term goal I have is to have students create some type of multimedia project each nine weeks. According to Ptiler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, "Student-created multimedia is a natural environment for cooperative learning" (2007, p. 141). I have never actually had the students create anything technology related from their research projects, it has always been a visual like a poster. However, when we return from Christmas break, my students will be researching the planets and creating a PowerPoint to share with the class. Each group of three will conduct individual research and then work collaboratively to create a PowerPoint that tells all about their planet. My goal is to have students create, not only PowerPoints, but pod casts and wikis too. I want my students to be so immersed in technology, it is second nature to them.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., &; Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Cafeteria Solution

My Voice Thread deals with improving the atmosphere of our cafeteria.


http://voicethread.com/share/785696/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

"Learning is a social process. It occurs when people are engaged in social activities," (Orey, 2001). These statements sum up the theory behind social constructivism. Students learn when they are actively working with others to solve a problem or create an artifact. There are several approaches to social constructivism. Teachers who employ cooperative learning in their classrooms are demonstrating social constructivism. In cooperative learning groups, students are required to work together to solve a problem or produce an artifact. In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works the authors give several ways to incorporate technology into cooperative learning. These include using multimedia, web resources, and communication software.

"Student-created multimedia is a natural environment for cooperative learning," (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 141). Students must each take on a role in completing the multimedia project all the while working with the others in the group to ensure a successful outcome. Multimedia projects, like cooperative groups, must be well-planned and organized to be successful. It is helpful if the teacher provides the students with a rubric at the beginning so students are knowledgeable about how they will be graded.

Other ways technology can play a role in social constructivism and cooperative learning are through keypals, webquests, web site creation, and collaborative organization tools. Although many students use social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace outside of school, the school system where I work has those sites blocked on our server. However, being a user of Facebook myself, I personally do not see how it could be used in an educational setting. That being said there are other forms of networking, like blogs, that I believe do have a valid place in education.

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., &; Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Constructivist/Constructionist Learning Theories

This week's resources provided several strategies and suggestions that are complementary to the constructivist/constructionist theories of learning. In constructionism, students are focused on answering a question and producing an artifact to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject. This is supported by the instructional strategy of "Generating and Testing Hypothesis" as described by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski. According to Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, "When students generate and test hypotheses, they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content" (2007, pg. 202). These ideas are ultimately what most teachers want for their students. By having students use technology such as spreadsheets, teachers can have students focus on evaluating their hypotheses rather than worry about making a mistake with tedious calculations.

Other resources that were mentioned this week also help teachers who wish to teach from the constructionist perspective. One handy tool is WebQuests. Through WebQuests students must explore a series of web sites to find information to answer a specific question. There is usually some type of finished product that must be produced to demonstrate knowledge of the information. The beauty of WebQuests is that there are so many out there a teacher only has to have time to search for an appropriate one on the topic of her choice. Another resource I am going to use soon is the Astroventure web site. We are getting ready to study space in science, and this web site poses some interesting questions for the students. I especially like the interactive part where students can design their own planet. I know my students will find this interesting and will continue trying until they can design a planet that will be viable.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Cognitive Learning Theories and Technology

According to Dr. Orey, cognitive learning theories are based upon the idea that individuals receive information via their senses, store it in short-term memory, and then, with enough exposure, move it to long-term memory. Dr. Orey also talked about students being able to make connections better when provided with an image and text versus just text. This has several implications for teaching and learning. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski talk about using summarizing and note taking as effective learning strategies. So, when providing students with notes, it is very helpful to also use images that relate to the notes. There are also several technologies that can help students with summarizing and note taking. Teachers can create a note template in Word for students to complete or various types of templates using programs like Inspiration or Kidspiration. This also leads into another strategy discussed by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, cues, questions, and advance organizers. By using probing questions, teachers can elicit deeper thinking from their students. The authors also make the point that teachers should not use elusive clues when prompting students. Again, teachers can use software to provide students with advance organizers to complete throughout a lesson. Using multimedia clips are an excellent advance organizer for students. This taps into the visual side of the cognitive theory to help students use dual coding to remember information.

The cognitive theory lends itself to using technology. The more students can see information organized and manipulate the information, the greater the chance the knowledge is moved into long-term memory.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Behaviorism

When a person practices behaviorism, he/she uses a system of rewards and punishments to achieve a desired behavior. Educators use behaviorist techniques almost daily in the classroom. Most of the time it is through the use of our behavior management plans, but sometimes it is evident in instructional techniques as well. The two strategies we read about this week, "reinforcing effort" and "homework and practice" both rely on a bit of behaviorism to make them work.

The first strategy, "reinforcing effort" talks about using spreadsheets and surveys to help students understand the correlation between the amount of effort put in and the grade received. "The instructional strategy of reinforcing effort enhances students' understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 155). Students see that by increasing effort they are rewarded with good grades. On the flip side, if effort is not put forth, the grades suffer. This directly correlates with the behaviorist theory.

The other strategy we read about was "homework and practice." We all know how important it is for students to practice what they are learning. The ideas given for using technology to assist with homework and practice align somewhat with the behaviorist theory. By using web-based tutorials and games, students are receiving positive reinforcement for correct answers and must redo exercises that are not completed successfully. In this lies rewards and punishments. The reward is getting to move on in the game, and the punishment is having to redo a level.

I have gained some valuable suggestions from both these strategies that I would like to try in my own classroom. However, one hurdle to using technology in homework assignments is the lack of Internet access in every child's home. Hopefully this will not be an issue in the next few years as more and more school systems are moving toward computer based textbooks and the goal of providing laptops for all students.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Reflections

Throughout this course I was introduced to two new technologies and worked with one I had some previous experience with. Prior to this class I had used WikiSpaces as a facilitator in a workshop. However, I had never blogged or created a podcast. Despite having used a wiki before, I had not brainstormed ways to use this Web 2.0 technology in my fourth grade classroom. I never dreamed I would be thinking of ways to incorporate blogs and podcasts in my lessons. This class has opened my mind to the many exciting ways I can have my students learning about and using these Web 2.0 applications. This class has caused me to think about the amount of memorizing we ask students to do. With the proliferation of technology and on-demand services, memorizing obscure dates and facts seems like a waste of time. Today, we should be teaching students where and how to find the answers instead of memorizing them. I am not advocating students not learning their multiplication tables or other information, I just think we should be teaching students how and where to find answers.

Although it will be hard for me, I understand the need to change my classroom from a teacher-centered environment to a more student-centered environment. I am going to work hard this school year to develop more lessons that require students to seek and find answers instead of me giving them.

I believe all students need to be exposed to as much technology as possible while in school. To make sure I am up-to-date on the latest technologies, I will continue to read and research about integrating technology in the classroom. I will also find better ways to incorporate my ACTIVboard in my lessons. This is a powerful tool that can help my students become more involved in their learning. I also plan on finishing my master's, taking what I learn in these classes and applying the concepts in my classroom.

One goal I have for the next two years is to move away from journal notebooks and have students complete their journaling online. One hurdle is access to computers. Although I have two computers in my classroom, for every student to be able to use the computer every day I need at least three more. Another way this could be accomplished is through the establishment of more computer labs within my school. As of now we have one, but might have another one in November. This would be great because I could schedule more time in the lab. If the second lab does not become a reality, I will try to secure more computers for my classroom through grant writing or donations. My second goal is to make a conscious effort to transform a majority of my lessons to become more student-centered. This includes letting students make discoveries instead of me telling them the how and why. By completing my AMSTI (Alabama Mathematics, Science, Technology Initiative) training next summer I will be well on my way in science and math. I must do some reflecting on my social studies lessons to reconstruct them to be more student-centered.

Overall, this class has been very beneficial to me. I feel I have a better understanding of the types of technologies students need to be successful when they enter the work force. By introducing some of these in elementary school, students will be on the road to being well prepared for the global society.

Adults vs. Children

To complete my podcast assignment I interviewed two adults and one child. I then compared and contrasted their technology usage. You can hear my findings at http://www.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/1480/episodes/6911.

Access at School

Hooray!! I went to my school this past week and set up my computer. While I was there I decided to see if I would be able to access this blog. Lo and behold, I was. This means I can set up a classroom blog using Blogger for the upcoming school year. I already know I can access WikiSpaces, so I feel like I am good to go for incorporating some new technology next year.

Overview of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills web-site

As I began exploring the Partnership for 21st Century Skills web site I found it to be informative and easy to navigate. Right away I was able to discern that although only ten states have formally joined the partnership, it is endorsed by several key players in education. One of the first articles I encountered was about The American Association of School Librarians naming the web site as one of its Top 25 Sites for Education. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that several textbook companies, as well as groups like Scholastic, Lego, and Sesame Workshop have a member on the board of the partnership. Some continued exploration led me to a wealth of resources. Although some did require a login and password, the registration process was free. I especially liked the videos showcasing how 21st Century Skills had been incorporated into various lessons. These were found on the Route 21 page under P21 Snapshots. One thing I did not find was a place where resources were divided by level, such as elementary, middle, secondary. It would be much easier when searching for resources to be able to sort by level taught. This site will become a valuable resource as I continue to modify my teaching to make sure my students are learning valuable 21st Century Skills.