Instructional Architect (ia.usu.edu)

This week in class I explored lesson plan helps on Instructional Architect. First I logged in as a student using a class password and compared two lessons: Earthquakes and Volcanoes vs. Adventures in the Desert. Earthquakes and Volcanoes was just a jumble of links to what felt like "card catalog" site information (not live links that directed the student directly to the page). The Adventures in the Desert was much more user-friendly lesson with tasks written at a child's level. The process subheading offered several helpful live links to web pages about desert animals kids would love. There were lots of additional links for further research, rubric for evaluation, and a conclusion. This comparison exercise emphasized the need for interactive lessons to be at the appropriate level (web links to highly-technical, scientific research sites will just frustrate a child) and offer links that are current (not expired as the first one I visited was). One of the cool things about Instructional Architect is that I can set up a class account for students to access from home hassle-free and fee-free a variety of curriculum-relevant interactive lessons (science, history, math, literature, . . .). Kids can log on at home to complete an assignment or learn more about a certain topic, and (this is exciting) involve parents and siblings in their learning by directing them to the lesson on the web too.

There are teacher benefits as well. Logging on as a teacher, you can browse hundreds of existing lesson plans or web links sorted by grade, subject, and topic. Our instructor explained the evaluation process: only "vetted" lessons are posted here, so teachers can trust that these lessons are high-quality and current (similar to a "stamp of approval"). Sharing lessons frees teachers from the "reinvent the wheel" syndrome. I practiced creating a lesson using my actual group lesson topic that is due in a few weeks focused on Hawaii. I found cool links to "After the Day of Infamy" memories of Pearl Harbor survivors (www.memory.loc.gov) and several great kids sites for research and photographs that will be useful as we create our Hawaii travel brochure lesson plan. I felt like my class time was productive for my project as well as give me an alternative lesson plan site (that I think I like better than WebQuest's WebGarden). The downside is that with IA you need to use some html codes, so I'd give it lower marks for user-friendliness.

My mentor teacher used several interactive math lessons on the web this month. I was able to teach fractions and prime/composite numbers using the SmartBoard in our classroom. The kids really liked the Tony's Pizza Shop game because it was a lesson but felt like a game. I see the value in spicing math lessons with technology because the students can't help but be glued to the screen or fighting for a turn to DO MATH. How cool if they could log on at home to a lesson created specifically for them that would enrich the day's lesson FOR FUN! I am liking technology in the classroom more and more as I become more familiar with (and less frightened of) it!