POST #2: Challenges to Using Iowa AEA Online Resources

I feel the great variety of resources, though wonderful, is the challenge both for me as an educator and eventually for my students.  It seems the purpose of these databases as a whole is to portion out the billions of bits of information for easier consumption, but there is so much to consider that there will likely be a learning curve for those of us new to using these products.  I also wonder whether I will be able to manage the time needed to fully explore all of these products to determine whether I've chosen the best thing to have my kids work on.  It is, however, an excellent way for them to get away from using the laptop as another "toy," which is often one of our issues, especially at the High School level.

I think the biggest challenge of implementing the AEA online resources into my kindergarten classroom is finding the time to go through each online resource and remembering how to navigate through them to see which ones I can incorporate into my classroom and be beneficial to my students and myself. To overcome this challenge, I first plan on narrowing the resources down to which ones I can use in my kindergarten classroom, since some of the resources are geared more for the upper elementary students. Then I plan on focusing on 2 or 3 resources at a time using my notes I took, of how to navigate through them, to see how I can incorporate them into my themes and topics during the school year. I also plan on keeping good notes of what resources I used and when so I can refer back to them again the following years and continue to keep adding to my notes.

The two biggest challenges that I think I will face when implementing the Iowa AEA resources are; not being comfortable with the material and also having less control of students.  First, since I have not done much of implementing these resources it will be a little nerve wracking to not know of the issues that may come up when trying to incorporate this into a lesson plan.  Will student log-ins work, will I be able to show them how to navigate the site smoothly. etc.?  The best way to alleviate some this stress is to utilize the media specialist at the school to see if she can take me through any issues that will arise.  Also, viewing any tutorials before teaching and also just walking through the process myself a few times will help.  Second, it feels like I will have less control over students since they will be in charge of doing the right thing on the computer.  Even though I may feel this way at first I think once I become comfortable and made the jump of teaching with these resources I will actually have more control.  Once I get students up and going I will be able to move around the computer lab and assist students with their learning.  I think going over some of the information before we get to the computer will also help so we won't run into issues like passwords or navigation of the site.

Having never had my own classroom, I'm not sure what my biggest challenge would be.  With the experience I do have, I think that perhaps time would be the biggest challenge, especially a new teacher.  There are so many resources available, I am wondering if knowing which one to use would come easily or if a lot of time would be spent going through many different resources before getting the feel for the ones that work the best for my intended purpose.  Going through the course and going through all of the resources available, is a lot to remember when it comes to implementing usage when I am still a couple years from my own classroom.  That being said, I at least know that the AEA has all of these awesome resources available for a teacher's use in their classroom will be unforgettable, but the ins and outs will have to be reviewed.  I plan to go through tutorials again once I am closer to my own classroom.  I also plan to discuss the resources available with the teachers I will be working with and use them for advice on usage with the curriculum of the grade I am teaching.

I believe that my biggest challenge to using the AEA online resources is how very MANY resources there are and figuring out which ones will be best for me and for my second grade students.  It is fantastic to have so many resources, but it is actually also a little overwhelming.
I believe that there are several things that I can do to help myself with this challenge.  I plan to set aside some time each week (Example:  30 minutes each Monday afternoon--a "set" schedule will help me to actually use that time) to go back through and familiarize myself with all of the many available resources.  I also plan to check with the other classroom teachers at my school and at my previous school to inquire about which resources they use the most in their classrooms and why they choose to use those.  Finally, I think I will need to start "small" by introducing myself and my students to only a few resources within the first few months of school.

Don't be afraid to ask your teacher-librarian for help, Debra! He or she should be willing to help you figure which resources are best for your needs and help walk you through the available features of particular databases.  

I highly recommend BookFlix and Brittanica Online Elementary! You might check whether your school or AEA subscribes to PebbleGo, which is another awesome database for young learners (it's just not part of Iowa AEA Online right now).

~Leann S
Teacher-Librarian
Albia, Moravia, Centerville

My biggest challenge in implementing the resources in my K-2 library is technology availability.  I have two computers in that library – my desktop used for checkout and my laptop that is hooked to the interactive white board.  While I am easily able to introduce and demonstrate use of the resources on the IWB, the library does not have its own lab or set of Chromebooks or iPads for student use.  
The one Chromebook cart for the school is booked nearly every afternoon when I have class.  That leaves the iPads which are split among classrooms.  Each classroom has maybe 6 ipads.  While I can and do borrow them from the teachers when needed, they are not always charged by the afternoon nor working correctly.  
When I meet with each class for 35 minutes, once a week, for check out and a mini-lesson, and there aren’t enough iPads for even a 2:1 environment, time is another big challenge.  One lesson and its project took at least one month to finish last year.  
        To overcome the technology challenge, this year I need to borrow iPads from two classrooms instead of one.  Hopefully that will give me enough working iPads.  I should also ask our technology integrationist for assistance the first couple lessons because another mind and set of hands is so helpful.  
        There’s not much I can do about my allotted time with each class because it is a fixed schedule.  However, I think if I create a better scope and sequence of my curriculum for grades K-6, and manage class time a little better, it will help with some of my time frustrations.  I hope to implement centers in my libraries this year so hopefully that may help, too.  

One of the biggest challenges will be to change the way I have done things.  I'll need to set aside time to keep reviewing such a large group of information and possibilities.  A problem I've had before was not being able to take the information from a workshop, etc. and immediately begin using it before I forget how.  The online resources give me a number of places to find materials for class other than youtube, etc.  We don't have a media specialist but I'm hoping some of my colleagues have used the online resources and I can use them as a resource.  I suspect it will take some time to be able to choose the right tool for a particular application, but I'm counting on student's curiosity to help in that area.  I also hope to utilize the online tutorials and webinars as refreshers.  I've shied away from using technology in my classroom because I've heard other teachers complain of students coming across and viewing inappropriate information.   The AEA online resources seem to eliminate those problems and I don't know why anyone would use anything else.

I no longer have a classroom of my own and I substitute teach now.  I am retired now but when I did have my classroom as a music teacher,  the biggest challenge I would have had was time to use all of the digital options available and the competence to be digital savy. I did not attend school during the digital explosion era. I mostly learned to use a computer by the trial and error way. Even a substitute teacher faces challenges in the classroom with the technology tools. I have had to humble myself and ask the students how to use the white board. I still don't have it mastered but I have seen it used and it is a wonderful tool. For today's teachers, time is probably the biggest challenge and then routine would be another.  I am impressed with what Iowa AEA Online resources has to offer. Thank you for making such wonderful digital resources available. Maybe in my next life I will have the opportunity to did much deeper in the use of digital teaching aids.

I think that the biggest challenge to implementing these resources in my classroom will be time.  I have a limited time with each of my students daily, and I need to be sure that this time is used to best provide to the needs of these special education students.  I hope to be able to go into classrooms and work with my students (and other students who may have similar struggles) to effectively use the resources that the classroom teachers are using.  I see so much potential for differentiation with these resources, that I need to be sure to allow my students the same opportunities as their peers to use the different learning resources from this course.  In taking this course, I feel that I can more quickly and efficiently navigate these resources to make the most out of our shared time.  (Access to technology may also become a challenge, but I hope that my school will provide the needed technology to effectively use these resources.)

My biggest challenge will be to remember what all the different resources have to offer.  Some of the resources are geared for students in upper grades so this will help to narrow my search for what I can use in my classroom.  Another challenge will be to keep track of different resources/videos I find for use in my classroom in the future years.  For example, I may find a video on plants now to use, but next year at this time, will I remember to use the video?  I will have to write a lot of my ideas in lesson plans.  Since I teach younger students, it may be a challenge on how I can help them to become independent with using some of these resources.  I see a lot of uses for classroom whole group discussions, but when it comes to finding ways for my students to use these resources on their own, I struggle a bit.  I’m sure with repeated exposure to using these resources, I will become more comfortable using them and then it will be easier to transfer some of what I have learned to my students so they become more independent as well.

I don't have one biggest challenge, I have three.  The biggest challenges to implementing the Iowa AEA Online Resources in my classroom will be time, myself, and school funds.  Where I have a job opportunity, I would have seven preps, coach three sports, and have three courses to take in the first year.  Plus, it will be my first year back after subbing for four.  I understand that all teachers are busy and that time management will be a key.  Also, there will be programs that the school stresses, and they may not include AEA Online Resources.  I'm 52 years old and to be honest, just a bit rusty technology wise. When you aren't using technology on a daily basis in the classroom, it's easy lose track of the present-day use. Then the snowball effect take place, you are unsure so you don't try to use technology.  Luckily I am open to technology and by using co-workers and tutorials, my questions should be answered.  Once I start using AEA Online Services, I have a feeling it will save me time, especially in the long run.  School funds would be the final one.  It appeared that the school system had to purchase some of the services.  Where I may be teaching is a small district where, as in all small districts, funds are a issue.  I may not have the full arsenal of services to use, even though I would like to use a specific service.  Looking back, a fourth chllenge would be deciding which services not to use.

The biggest obstacle has already been overcome.  I wasn't familiar with what was available and how to get to it.  I have identified two resources that will be a perfect fit for my third graders this year:  Bookflix and Britannica.  Now I have the correct school user names and passwords to access them and begin using them with students.  Prior to this class, I didn't know where to start.

Now the challenge will be getting my kiddos trained up on their Chromebooks on how to access the resources and how to use them.  I plan to share these resources with my 3rd grade colleagues.  Together with our media specialist who is so willing to collaborate, I believe we can do some training during media and she can push into our own classrooms and together we can do some co-teaching to get our kiddos using these resources.   I am also blessed with two wonderful volunteers who come regularly to help me during the school year.  They will be very helpful for one on one support, especially when I am doing small group instruction and some kiddos are doing independent work.  Kids learn with technology so easily, and I will soon be able to pair kids up to support each other as well, especially in writing.  I am confident I can overcome these implementation challenges.

My biggest personal challenge is my knowledge in using technology.  I consider myself to be way behind all of our students.  Another challenge is how to best use technology in our gym.  

I hope to overcome these challenges by asking for help from our instructional coach and media specialist.  I also plan on asking other PE teachers how they use technology in their classes.  I need to train on our equipment so I feel comfortable.  I also plan on asking one of the PE teachers in our department to team teach a lesson.  

I think the biggest challenge to using the AEA resources is time. I have small groups of students for about 30 minutes. It will be challenging to explore these resources and utilize them in such a short time period. I am hoping to introduce students to the various resources and then have them explore them on their chromebooks when they have time.

I am in a situation where there are multiple challenges to me of using Iowa AEA Online resources in the classroom.  I am a substitute teacher and coach, I have very little control over the subject classroom lesson plans of the day.  It is my job to follow the lesson plans which have been left for me by the regular teacher.  Within these confines, there are times I may be able to interject some of what I have learned from the online course, as well as encourage the students to use the resources which are available to them.  I do believe being a substitute teacher does not keep me from using the resources completely.  
On the other hand, as a coach and volunteer at the middle school there are a number of steps I can take to overcome some of these challenges.  The first step that can be taken is to talk to the athletes about doing their best in the classroom as well as in their sport.  Doing their best in both the classroom and sports, means taking advantage of the available resources offered by AEA Online.  I will be reviewing the resources to determine ways I can use them to increase their knowledge and skills in their sports.  I will incorporate the use of audio and video sources in the practices.  We will be using some of the suggested resources to evaluate our progress during the season.

I think the biggest challenge to me is taking this information that I learned from these different resources that are available through the Iowa AEA Online website that are focused mostly towards the “traditional” classroom setting and transfer into a PE class setting. As a PE teacher, I know that I do not have a “traditional” classroom setting, but it can be difficult to take information that I have learned from professional development or educational conferences and transfer it toward a PE class. So I ask myself, “Can I use any of these resources in my classes?”  More times than not, I have answered that question with no, because of the lack of technology equipment for me to use in my classes.

To overcome this challenge, my plan is to focus on just one or two resources that I could utilize. Now that I have been provided with more technology equipment, I believe that I can utilize these resources that are provided by the Iowa AEA Online website better to help grow the students learning in my classroom setting. I will start by looking for appropriate audio and visual resources that I learned in this course.  As the school year goes along, I can start looking to other resources that could help enhance the PE lessons/PE curriculum that I am teaching. I have always thought that the best practice of using new information is to start small and grow from there.

The biggest challenge for me is the lack of laptops.  I currently share a cart of laptops with several other teachers, so time is limited.  The cart does not even contain enough laptops for my largest classes (Spanish 1).  However, I have a projector which I can hook up to my personal computer to use the videos from the Learn 360 for my larger classes.  

My upper level classes are not as large and students have acess to the laptops once a week.  Generally, this  day is spent on the Doulingo, a free, online second language learning program.  It is very good, but some of the students do become bored with the program.  I would like to use the Cultural Gram resource in place of Duolingo once a month. Students could be assigned a Spanish-speaking country to explore throughout the year and present their information at the end of the year at a cultural fair.      

I teach k-5 ELL to small groups.  I think Learn360 is a program that not many teachers are familiar with.  My challenge is how to get this program used in more classrooms so that my ELLs can benefit from all the small clips that can be used to help anchor a lesson in say, social studies or science, where the student may kind of understand, but needs further explanations to really get a deeper understanding.  What I feel I need to do, is first look at each of the science or social studies topics and get a feel for what they are working on in each of the grades.  Typically I don't go in during these times, so I am not familiar with the curriculum.  I could start out by finding and emailing them clips that would help them in the classrooms.  As I do that a few times, my hopes would be that they are able to look at the website and start doing their own searches to help the students in the classroom.  

There were so many things that were taught during this class that each of the programs kind of run together, and it is just a matter of getting into each of the programs and digging in.  I now know that many of the videos we watched were from Youtube, so if I am trying to figure out how to do something but can't remember how, looking back to Youtube is also a solution.  

In any matter, the biggest challenge of all if just finding the time to sit back and try using each of the programs as new lessons come up.  Trial and error.  And reflecting both good and bad on how each lesson goes.  In the beginning it will be hard, but with each lesson, I will get more comfortable with the program, and how my students react to the presented materials.  I know they love computer time and I would love to have them more excited to come into class each day!

As I look at our school, I feel that I will be most able to introduce the resources with our 4th grade team, because they are already quite comfortable and ready to embed technology into their classroom routines.  The challenges I anticipate are how to introduce these resource with younger grade teachers, as well as those who are less technologically literate.  

My steps will be

1) Meet with individual teams to support technology pieces, probably some of the simpler tools, like Book and TruFlix for students.

2) Create screen casts for my You Tube channel, then play and send out links of those videos before each PD session that I share a new resource.  

3) Engage in conversation with each team about how they will try a new resource this year...just pick one and really get to know it.