Baldwin Wallace University

Leadership in Technology for Teaching & Learning MAEd Program

Learning Journal
Directions: First make a copy of this template by going to “File” then “Make a Copy”. Name your new page starting with
your last name followed by the field # and semester. Example: Finelli Field II Fall 2014.
* Share the link in the Assignment Dropbox of the Field Course when complete!

Course Number: EDU- __526_______ Semester/Year: __Fall 2019________

Dr. Susan Finelli-Genovese, Field Program Coordinator

Student Name: __Melissa Fifer_____________ On-Site Supervisor: __Terry Casky_& Rashelle Porter (off-site)___

District: __Parma City Schools___________ School: __Renwood Elementary______________ Grade: _1st_____

Briefly describe your field experience by answering each of the following questions:
(Double space, 1” margins, 12 font, @ 2-3pages in length)

What lesson/activity did you facilitate?

What were your expectations and were they fulfilled? Explain.
Was there anything you could have done differently to improve your lesson?
Evaluate the resources and support needed.
How would you rate your overall experience?
What artifact(s) will you be submitting to your portfolio for this activity?
______________________________________________________________________________________

For this field experience, I provided professional development (PD) on Google Classroom to all

of the teachers (Kindergarten-Fourth Grade, Special Ed, and Gym/Art/Music) and the principal of my

elementary building. The PD session was organized and shared in a Google Slides presentation.

The staff was provided a paper handout of the presentation with areas for notes on each page. The

staff was also given the link to the presentation in case they wanted to view it in a larger version or

save it for reference/future use. At the start of the presentation, I provided a quick explanation of

what Google Classroom is and a list of its benefits. After that, I provided the step-by-step process of

signing into Google Classroom as a student and finding an assignment. Once all attendees found the

assignment, they were given a few minutes to explore the elements of the assignment. After allowing

time for exploration of the different aspects of the assignment, I provided the step-by-step process of
submitting an assignment as well as un-submitting & re-submitting an assignment if a mistake is

made. Following this part of the presentation, I proceeded to provide the step-by-step process of

signing into Google Classroom as a teacher and creating a class. Once all attendees created a

class, I explained the process of the two ways students can be added to their class. After explaining

this, I guided all attendees through the process of creating an assignment and the elements which

can be added to an assignment. To wrap up the PD session, I asked for everyone to provide

feedback on the effectiveness of the presentation through a Google Forms survey, which I emailed to

them.

My expectations for this PD presentation were straightforward: the attendees were to

experience the students’ side of Google Classroom, set up a class, and view the different elements

which can be assigned to students, as well as for the presentation to be completed in a 30-minute

timeframe. Some of these expectations were met, and some were not:

1. Everyone was able to sign in as a student.

2. Everyone was able to set up their class but did not add all of their students (this will be

explained below).

3. The presentation was completed in the 30-minute timeframe.

Although the presentation was completed in the 30-minute timeframe, I feel more could have been

addressed in a bit more depth with more time or in a follow-up PD session.

In reflecting on my PD presentation, I feel that overall, everything went wonderfully. However,

there are a few things I would have done differently. For example, when the attendees were

experiencing the students’ side of Google Classroom, I would have made the experience more

hands-on. I would have had each attendee work through the elements of the assignment as well as

submit it (as a student would do) versus just locating the assignment, quickly viewing its parts &

explaining how to submit it.

The second thing I could have done differently to improve my PD session would have been to

have done more than only explain how to add students to a class. I would have had the attendees
add their students to their newly created class during the session. I did not think to ask everyone to

bring their class list so that they could do so. Another thing I could have done differently is with the

assignment creation aspect of the presentation. During the presentation, I informed the attendees

how to find the assignment “tab” and the types of elements (i.e., PDF, picture, video), which can be

attached to an assignment, but I did not allow everyone the time to create an assignment. While I

would have liked to have allowed people time to do this during the presentation, I think it would have

been best to do this aspect in a follow-up presentation. This would enable people time to brainstorm

ideas for what they’d want to have their students do in an assignment. The last thing I could have

done differently to improve my PD session would have been to actively teach. Throughout the

lesson, there were a few questions that arose. If I had been actively teaching within Google

Classroom, I would have been able to show people how to do something or what something looked

like “in-person” versus just through a verbal explanation.

Based on attendee feedback, I feel the resources I used (GoogleSlides and the printout of the

slides) were effective. I got many compliments on how the presentation was set up in an easy to

follow step-by-step process. While she wasn’t one of the resources I needed to present my PD, it was

very nice to have my mentor teacher sit-in on my presentation as she is very knowledgeable on

Google Classroom. It was comforting to know she was there if any questions arose that I wasn’t sure

of the answer to.

Overall, I would rate my experience as very beneficial. I feel my experience was beneficial

because it allowed me the opportunity to have a hands-on experience as a tech coach. It was so nice

to take on the role of a tech coach and teach fellow educators how to use a technological tool that

can enhance instruction. I would also rate my experience as very beneficial because of the

confidence boost it provided me in my presentation abilities. Not only did I feel good about how the

presentation went, but I received lots of positive feedback (through the survey) from my co-workers

and my principal. The survey results conveyed an overall consensus that the presentation was well-

organized, beneficial, and presented effectively. Additionally, following the presentation, my principal
sent me a personal email telling me that she could tell I had put a lot of work into the PD, as well as

that she thought it was not only informative but relevant.

For this experience, I will be submitting the following:

1. The Google Slides presentation on Google Classroom.

2. The handout which was provided to every attendee.

3. The Google Forms survey results about the effectiveness of the presentation.

4. The evaluation forms completed by both of my mentors (one in-building & one out-of-

building).