Rationale

The resource that I created is a conversation between several teachers discussing the experiences that they had during remote learning concerning the use of Google Classroom and FreshGrade. I used the Berkley Library: Evaluating Resource Guide for justifying and critiquing the video.Various topics are discussed relating to the use and implementation of these platforms into the classroom during remote learning. We specifically talked about what went well. What went wrong? What came out of COVID-19 that was surprising? And what resources would have been helpful to you as a teacher during that time?

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I believe this is an important discussion because it captures the different perspectives that teachers had during the lockdown. Some teachers faced similar issues, but many faced new and specific issues as individuals. The goal of this resource was to expand the conversation and take note of the different viewpoints on various topics in order to be more successful moving forward. The resource was also used to examine the gaps that were created from remote teaching and how teachers responded to using different platforms to facilitate students’ learning and the role that parents took on.

Participants and Influence

The three teachers in the video are from different teaching areas but all teach in Victoria.  Kenzie is a grade 1 teacher, Amanda is a grade 7 French immersion teacher and I am a grade 5 teacher. Although there is not a high school teacher voice present in the conversation, I hope that many of the topics covered in the conversation are relevant to all teachers.

By being the creator of the resource, the goal was to highlight the need for more digital literacy resources to be available for teachers. I am currently in my second year of my masters in educational technology and I am by no means a expert in the area but my perspective has been influenced by my peers, colleagues, professors and all the research and literature that I have been exposed to during my time in graduate studies.

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The three of us in the video are all in the beginning stages of our teaching careers. We reflect teachers who use technology as common practice in our classrooms, and are tech-savvy individuals. In general, we represent a progressive, white middle class viewpoint on the topic and do not reflect all teachers’ viewpoints. However, I believe that we have authority to talk about these platforms because we use them on a daily basis in our classrooms and over the spring, we were mandated to use them as core tool in our teaching.

Overview

As stated earlier, I wanted to create this resource to open up the conversation about the different aspects of Google Classroom and FreshGrade that teachers experienced. During the conversations, I also wanted to highlight that there is a need for more concise groupings of resources to help teachers navigate the platforms and be able to distribute resources to parents and students, especially in the younger grades.

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My hope while curating and creating these resources was to assist teachers in their personal and professional needs as well as help build digital literacy. The intended audience for this discussion is teachers and educators interested in digital literacy concerning platforms used in classrooms.  I have also included the transcript of the conversation in the post for viewers if needed.

The video discussion is just a general overview of some of the conversations that could be held about Google Classroom and FreshGrade. We covered what did not work and worked for us and resources or supports that should be put in place to help teachers move forward into a remote learning environment. It is important to note that this is just a tiny snapshot of some viewpoints of some specific teachers but it hopefully brought insight towards the issue.

 

Featured Image: Photo by Adam Bixby on Unsplash