Change Agent

Emily Benz

Towson University

Theory and Practice for Integrating Digital Resources into Learning and Teaching: 731

Dr. Sadera

July 21, 2022

Introduction

After reading about computers in the classroom and change agents, I chose to use my

knowledge to make change through classroom instruction. For this assignment, I focused on a

Health Unit within the 3rd grade curriculum in Howard County Public Schools (HCPSS). This

unit is titled “Personal Health & Disease Prevention” and is taught in the fourth quarter of the

school year. The target audience for this unit of instruction is 3rd grade students within HCPSS.

The changes I am making to this unit target a class of 23 3rd grade students. Within this class

there are two students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), two students with 504

Accommodation Plan, and five students who are English Language Learners (ELL). Reading

level varies among the class as well. Four students are reading below grade level, seven students

are reading above grade level while the remainder of the class is reading on grade level. This

group of students have strengths and weaknesses outside of learning that impact instruction. One

strength of this group if students is their knowledge of technology. Since students were required

to rapidly learn about technology in first and second grade due to virtual learning, they have a

good understanding of computers. Throughout other units of instruction, one can witness

students showing their understanding of using databases, such as Pebblego. Additionally,

students are willing to help their peers when they have run across a problem while using

technology. This is a strength because students are willing to problem solve with one another

prior to asking a teacher for assistance. With these strengths in technology, these students also

have a few weaknesses. One example is student’s lack in understanding how to take notes on

information they have learned. For instance, students immediately begin to copy the information

they learn word for word from a source rather than record it in their own words. This weakness

affects student’s learning because students are not able to recall what they have learned after
notetaking. Another weakness of this group of students is their lack of understanding to

determine what information is true when researching. At this point in their schooling, students

have limited understanding on how to find reliable resources. This impacts student learning

because if students are not guided to reliable resources, then students are not learning valuable

information. These strengths and weakness effect how students learning and achieve the desired

goals and objectives.

This Health unit of instruction provided by the curriculum office within HCPSS has

strengths and weakness. You can find the original unit materials here - linked. One strength of

this unit of instruction is the information that is being presented to the students. This unit teaches

students about personal health and disease prevention. The topics are important as students get

older and become more responsible for themselves. For example, one personal habit that is

discussed is taking care of your teeth. While student’s parent/guardian still schedules dentist

appointments for the student, the student responsible for brushing their teeth on a daily basis.

The information learned during this lesson helps students understand the importance of brushing

their teeth. Another strength of this unit is the time of when it is taught during the school year.

Since this unit is taught at the end of the school year, it provides students with great information

about health as they head into summer. This unit of instruction also has weaknesses. One big

weakness is the method in which the information is presented to the students. The main method

of instruction is by reading articles about each healthy habit. While the information is well

written and provides students with the necessary information, it does not require students to

search for or take ownership of the information. Second, this unit doesn’t integrate technology.

The only technology used is the teacher displaying Google Slides, but it does not encourage

students to use the technology provided to them to learn more about each healthy habit. When
looking at this unit, I would like to take what I know about technology integration and change

how information is presented and how students obtain information while learning.

Instructional Intentions

My intentions when revising this unit of instruction for this project is to integrate

technology. When reflecting on this unit and what had been taught in this course, I plan to use

the SAMR integration model to add technology in a meaningful way. Additionally, this unit does

not have a meaningful assessment to gauge student learning. By the end of this Health unit, I

want students not only to be able to explain the health habits they learned about but also have a

better understanding of how to find information independently.

Goals and Learning Objectives

After this unit, students should be able to:

 Describe ways to prevent the spread of germs.

 Recognize the benefits of personal health care practices. 1f.3.2

 Describe ways to prevent harmful effects of the sun. 1f.3.3

 Describe the benefits of eating a variety of nutritious foods. 1e.3.3

 State the benefits of drinking water versus other beverages. 1e.3.4

 Explain why sleep and rest are important for proper growth and good health

 Demonstrate how to find relevant information and record the information.

Technology Integration Model

The technology integration model I chose when revising this unit of instruction is SAMR.

This model lays out four tiers of online learning: substitution, augmentation, modification, and

redefinition (Terada, 2020).

 Each step in the SAMR model integrates technology into learning and allows for students

to become the owners of their learning. The first step is substitution. This step replaces

traditional activities and materials (Terada, 2020) with technology. The content is not being

changed, just how it is being delivered to the learners. Next is augmentation, which integrates

interactive digital enhancements and elements. Again, the content is not changed, but students

use digital features to enhance the lesson. The third step is modification. In this step, teachers use

learning management systems to handle some aspects of the classroom. For example, a

gradebook or posting assignments. The last step is redefinition. In this step the learning is

transformed. Tasks that had seemed impossible prior to technology are now made possible.

While looking at the Personal Health & Disease Prevention unit, I was able to see how

technology could be used to improve instruction. The chart below shows the lesson number, an

explanation of revisions to the lesson, and the level of the SAMR model. Any materials needed

are linked to the lesson number. On each google slide presentation, notes for the teacher are

provided to serve as a lesson guide. In Appendix A, you will find samples of technology used

and possible student products.

Lesson Revisions SAMR model

Number

1 To integrate technology into this
lesson, students will use PebbleGo
as a way to find information about
their healthy habit.
2 For student’s presentation, they are
using technology to share what they
learned with their classmates.
3 To integrate technology into this
classroom, the teacher will use
Jamboard as a closure activity.
Additionally, technology will be
integrated through student
presentations.
4 The technology used in this lesson is
Pear Deck. The teacher and students
are using this web tool to do a self-
reflection of the healthy habits.
Integrating technology in this manner, falls under
augmentation. The content that the students are learning has
not changed but students are now using digital features
(PebbleGo) in order to enhance their learning.
In this lesson technology is being integrated through the
step of modification. The tasks from the original unit have
transformed into something different. Instead of the teacher
presenting all of the information to students, the students are
now using technology to share what they have learned.
Using Jamboard in this lesson falls under substitution. The
use of Jamboard replaces the parking lot activity that
students completed as an exit ticket in lesson 1. The use of
technology that students use for their presentations would
be under the step of augmentation. The technology that
students are using changes the way the information is being
taught. Instead of students reading about each healthy habit,
students are learning from the experts each healthy habit.
This technology use is substitution. This activity could be
used with pencil and paper as well. The technology is not
changing the content being taught, just substituting the
usual materials.

UDL Practices

Throughout the revision of this unit of instruction, the Universal Design for Learning

(UDL) also played a role in changes that were made. UDL has three different components:

engagement, representation, and action and expression. Each component focuses on a different

area of learning within the brain. Engagement focuses on the why of learning and encourages

teachers to motivate their students in a variety of ways. Representation is the what of learning.

This component encourages teachers to think of multiple ways to represent information to their

students. Action and Expression are the how of learning. This section focuses on student’s

strengths and allows students to present information they learned in a variety of ways. Appendix

B provides to UDL checklist and an explanation of the guidelines this unit meets. With the

revisions, this unit now meets many of the guidelines within UDL.
Change Advocation

Technology is always changing and evolving. As educators, we are often afraid of to

integrate technology into our classroom for many reasons. One reason is because we are

concerned is that it may be a distraction. Rather, it opens a whole new door to information.

While learning new web tools can be overwhelming for educators, the technology meets students

where they are at more than the curriculum can at times. Technology allows for students to show

their strengths through multiple means of engagement and representation. While I might not have

the opportunity to rewrite every lesson or unit before I teach it, I do plan to advocate for change.

I want to help my teammates and other members of our school community learn how to do more

than substitute technology in place of pencil and paper. I want to encourage and show fellow

teachers that technology can transform learning and open new doors. Technology allows for

individuals to create something new that could have never been conceivable before.
 References

CAST. (2021, October 15). UDL: The UDL Guidelines. The UDL Guidelines.

https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

Schrock, K. (2013, November 9). SAMR. Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything.

https://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html

Terada, Y. (2020, April 4). A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration.

Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/powerful-model-understanding-good-tech-

integration
Appendix A

Lesson 1

Sample Article from Pebblego

Possible Student Product

Emily Benz

Sample Exit Ticket

I learned that too
much sunlight can
cause burns and
diseases
Lesson 2

Sample Student Presentation using Wixie

Lesson 3
Sample of student Jamboard
Appendix B
UDL Guidelines – Educator Checklist
I. Provide Multiple Means of Representation:
1. Provide options for perception
1.1 Customize the display of information
1.2 Provide alternatives for auditory information
1.3 Provide alternatives for visual information
2. Provide options for language and symbols
2.1 Define vocabulary and symbols
2.2 Clarify syntax and structure
2.3 Decode text and mathematical notation
2.4 Promote cross-linguistic understanding
2.5 Illustrate key concepts non-linguistically
3. Provide options for comprehension
3.1 Provide or activate background knowledge
3.2 Highlight critical features, big ideas, and relationships
3.3 Guide information processing
3.4 Support memory and transfer
II. Provide Multiple Means for Action and Expression:
4. Provide options for physical actions
4.1 Provide varied ways to respond
4.2 Provide varied ways to interact with materials
4.3 Integrate assistive technologies
5. Provide options for expressive skills and fluency
5.1 Allow choices of media for communication
5.2 Provide appropriate tools for composition and problem
solving
Your notes
When students are researching using PebbleGo, they can
customize the size, volume, and speed of the audio, etc. Students
can also customize how their information looks on their
presentation to their classmates.
PebbleGo provides information in written form for learners. Teacher
can also print out PebbleGo article if necessary.
PebbleGo provides text to speech for their written information.
Students can record audio when creating their multimedia
presentation.
PebbleGo provides in text support for new vocabulary as learners
are researching.
N/A
PebbleGo provides text to speech for their written information.
Students can record audio when creating their multimedia
presentation.
Students who are ELLs can use Google Translate to translate
unfamiliar words when researching.
PebbleGo provides students with visuals as well as a video that
supports student learning.
In lesson 1, students have the opportunity to activate background
knowledge by listing healthy habits they already know.
Students are provided with an organizer to record big ideas for
each healthy habit they learn about.
This unit works to chunk information into smaller elements.
Students are becoming experts on one healthy habit instead of
learning about all 6 at once. Information is then chunked when
students present their information to the class.
Students are provided an organizer to record their information.
Students are also provided with checklist to ensure that their
presentation has all of the necessary information.
Your notes
N/A
N/A
PebbleGo works with keyboard alternative rather than solely using
a mouse or trackpad.
Students can use text, speech, visuals, etc. to create a presentation
that shares information with their peers.
PebbleGo provides text-to-speech while students are researching.
In lesson 1, students are provided with a sentence start to share a
fact they learned.

5.3 Provide ways to scaffold practice and performance
6. Provide options for executive functions
6.1 Guide effective goal setting
6.2 Support planning and strategy development
6.3 Facilitate managing information and resources
6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress
III. Provide Multiple Means for Engagement:
7. Provide options for recruiting interest
7.1 Increase individual choice and autonomy
7.2 Enhance relevance, value, and authenticity
7.3 Reduce threats and distractions
8. Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence
8.1 Heighten salience of goals and objectives
8.2 Vary levels of challenge and support
8.3 Foster collaboration and communication
8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback
9. Provide options for self-regulation
9.1 Guide personal goal-setting and expectations
9.2 Scaffold coping skills and strategies
9.3 Develop self-assessment and reflection
In lesson 3, students are provided with a model of a presentation.
Additionally, presentations can be created to demonstrate another
approach of the presentation.
N/A
In lesson 2, students are provided with a checklist on what should
be included in their presentation.
A note-taking sheet is provided to students to record information
about their healthy habit. Students can then use this sheet to help
complete a presentation.
At the end of the unit, students are prompted through a time of self-
reflection about how well they do each of the healthy habits.
Your notes
Students are given the choice of what web tool they would like to
use to create a presentation. In addition, the teacher has the
opportunity to allow students the choice of which healthy habit they
would like to learn more about.
This unit allows for active participation, and exploration. Students
are working towards an authentic outcome throughout this unit as
well.
During this unit, the teacher should ensure that all students are part
of class discussions as well as their group’s presentation.
At the beginning of each lesson in this unit, students are reminded
the purpose and goal of the information they are learning. Students
are also reminded the importance of this information at the
conclusion of this unit as well.
N/A
This unit creations expectation for group work. In lesson 1 and
lesson 2, students review the expectation of group work. Students
also find encouragement and support from their peers as they work.
Feedback can be given as the teacher monitors students’ research,
and during the creation of their presentation.
At the end of this unit, students participate in a self-reflection of how
well students do each healthy habit.
When working with their peers, students have to self-regulate their
emotions. They have to manage frustrations and seek support
when they become frustrated.
Students participate in a self-assessment of their healthy habits at
the end of the unit. Students then identify 2 healthy habits that they
want to get better at.