October 18, 2023

Assignment 3: Micro-Teach Assignment

Personal Reflection

Lesson: Learning How to Use Miro in the Classroom

Partner: Aimee Baron

Overview:
Our lesson aimed to introduce the student teachers to a mind-mapping technology called Miro
and give them the time to practice using the website. We hoped the student teachers would come
out of our lesson with a familiarity for Miro and a broader understanding of the many
applications of electronic mind mapping in the classroom.

We began by explaining the many benefits of using mind-mapping technology in the classroom
and the specific benefits of Miro. At this point, we gave a brief tutorial on accessing Miro and
using its many features. We then transitioned to having the student teachers log into the Miro
mind map we had started and gave them the freedom to explore and make their additions. The
lesson wrapped up with a group discussion and a Mentimeter poll to gauge the audience's
feelings about Miro.

Rationale:
We chose to teach about Miro because of its many features that could prove helpful in the
classroom. The features that stood out were: the option to monitor student interaction and track
who contributed what to the mind map, the ability to add comments and feedback directly to
their work, and the opportunity to watch students work in real time by following their cursors.
Miro also allows all users to work simultaneously without being affected by how other
participants move or manipulate the screen (think the opposite of how GoogleDoc jumps around
when your partner is editing the shared document). The free version provides teachers and
students with many templates and the option to create from scratch. It also includes emojis,
sticky notes and colour-coded options to make learning fun.

More generally, Miro mind mapping is an excellent resource in the classroom because it can be
used independently or in groups for study guides, brainstorming projects/presentations, reflection
of knowledge, and so much more! Miro can also be a fantastic tool for conducting formative
assessments because students can represent their learning in various ways, and teachers can
monitor their progress and understanding.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Technology:

This technology is very effective and has many excellent features that translate effectively into
the classroom. Our only concern with Miro is that it can be a little bit of a learning curve out of
the gate and may be challenging for younger students. Miro would be used most effectively by
older students who are given a straightforward tutorial about the main features and how to use
them.
Reflection on the Lesson Delivery:
Overall, the lesson delivery was reasonably smooth, and the audience was very receptive
and engaged. We were able to touch on all of the talking points we had prepared beforehand, and
the demonstration using Zoom screen share went well. We sent the login emails at the beginning
of our lesson to mitigate potential time loss, which helped a little. We showed up well-prepared
for the lesson and felt we met our learning objectives.

Tools That Could Be More Effective:

Miro would be effective in Grades 6-12 classrooms, but there are more appropriate mind-
mapping websites and apps for the younger grades, like Popplet (Grades 1-12) and the app
Kidspiration Maps (K-Grade 3). A couple more highly suggested mind mapping sites for older
children are Coggle (Grades 5-12) and MindMeister (Grades 5-12).

What Would I Would Change:

If given the opportunity to redo the presentation, it would have been helpful to have a slide show
or digital poster up in the background during the speaking portions instead of having the student
teachers look at a screen share of the Miro mind map we were using as an example. A poster or
slide show could have had some of the basic talking points and would have been less distracting
and given better context. It would have also been helpful to have known the group members
ahead of time and had them set up accounts for Miro because the setting up portion was a little
clunky and took time away from learning.

What I Feel Went Well:

During the lesson, we adequately explained the plethora of reasons why mind mapping
technology is an asset to teachers and why Miro specifically is a great tool. We provide several
examples of how students and teachers might benefit from using Miro and demonstrated most
during the lesson. Additionally, the student teachers' feedback said they would all be interested
in using Miro in their classroom and enjoyed the interactive aspects and opportunity to practice
on the site.

The Set Up and Prep:

To set up and prepare for this lesson, the teacher would have to send out invitations to join all
their students and have them create Miro accounts using their school email accounts. The teacher
would also need to create an example mind map for the students to practice by editing and
utilizing the features of the site. It would also be necessary to prepare the students by showing
them the essential components of Miro to help them gain confidence and familiarity before
turning them over to do any independent work. To do the lesson, students would need access to a
computer or laptop and be logged into zoom.

Classroom Management Strategies We Would Use:

Since our lesson is intended to take place virtually on Zoom, we would use classroom
management strategies like making sure all of the participants had their computer microphones
muted while we were presenting and that they were participating using an appropriate and
accurate name. Despite the virtual setting, we would greet the students and offer assistance and
reinforcement like in a typical class. Students would be able to raise their "Zoom hand" at any
time and even call out if they had a question or concern.