POST #2: Challenges to Using Iowa AEA Online Resources

While I am eager and very motivate to begin to incorporate the resources about which I have been learning in this online course, there are so many! That is probably the main challenge for me to implement the resources into my classroom. How long will it take me to go through my notes and figure out which resource, or resources, will be most suitable for a given assignment? Will I have time to explore the various databases? How can I successfully show the students how best to use an online tool?

Several steps I could use to overcome these challenges. I need to go back through my notes and highlight the main purpose for each resource and noting the audience - age and/or level of students - for which it is best suited. Perhaps I could print the flyers that were shown at the beginning of the course and keep in a file or post in my class to have available to review. Another strategy might be to pick one or two that will be useful right away, and write a lesson that will teach the class how to properly use it. Britannica Digital Learning, Gale, and iClipArt seem the most likely and useful tools for immediate use.

My biggest challenge is that being a Future Ready teacher I have so many technology uses within my classroom already.  The challenge for me is that my classroom is a 1:1 i-pad classroom and I only have 2 computers in the classroom.  If there was an app for the i-pad I could see my students using a variety of these resources.  We use Epic Books which is similar to Bookflix.  I have found some great books on Bookflix for our Moon Unit and different science units so I could rotate the students at the computers to read these books as an extra resource for our units.  The videos through the Bookflix are helpful as well.  I don't know with the copyright rules if it is ok to take the videos and embed them and put them through Nearpod to use as a class video during class.  Reading through the copyright section it seemed that if you embed a video it is okay but I don't want to do the wrong thing.  So even after looking thorugh the copyright and taking the quiz my challenge is still knowing what I can and can't copy.  

The biggest challenge I see to implementing these resources is just finding the time to really dig into each one before using them.  I am extremely excited to get started!  

I primarily teach small intervention groups, but I also co-teach during a first grade reading block.  This would be the time of day I could really see myself implementing these resources.  

In order to become proficient at implementation, I plan to go through the resources one at a time.  I will begin with Bookflix.  This is the resource that sparked my interest, so I want to learn everything it has to offer the students.  After I have a good handle on Bookflix, I will choose another resource and do the same thing.  I can't wait to get the students engaged in their learning!

The biggest challenge to implementing the Iowa AEA Online resources would be simply narrowing down the vast amount of information available to fit the needs of my learners. I like that the available resources each have a different type of media to explore, like BookFlix being storybooks, the AEA Digital Library being streamed videos, illustrations, and photos, and Learn360 being primarily video. It would take a good amount of time to explore each of these resources to see which would best meet the needs of my learners.

One way to overcome this challenge would be to submit a TQ proposal/request outlining how I would dive deeper into each one of these resources to better understand what is available and how I could implement that information. If that was unsuccessful, I could try to set aside some planning time each week dedicated to exploring the different resources. Since the age group I work with is early childhood, or PK, it does cut down on the number of resources with content appropriate for that age group.

Since I do not have a classroom, I feel it would be beneficial to teach the parents I serve about the resources available to their children. Once I become more familiar with the content, I intend to educate some of my parents on what is available to them.

     First, I want to describe the biggest challenge I think I will have when implementing the AEA resources in my classroom. The biggest challenge will be the time to use them. Time to use technology in the general education classroom is always a challenge but it is even more challenging in a pull out situation. I need to be able to complete our English Language Learner lessons and still have the opportunity to use the resources in the amount of time that has been allotted for me to pullout each student.

     Second, I want to explain the two steps I will use to overcome the challenge of implementing these resources in my classroom. In my teaching situation, I pull students out into small groups. I will set up a rotation basis with my students. Some students will be working with the technology resources while other students are working on their guided lessons with me. The second step I will use is building the AEA resources into my guided lessons. So, students will have a chance to work individually with the resources. Then, when they rotate to me the resources will be built into their lessons.

There are two large challenges I see myself facing while incorporating all of the resources the AEA has provided online: technology and time. Technology can be very fickle, so I can see issues arising when I am counting on using an online resource from the AEA. If the internet is down, a student has left their computer at home, failing grades result in blocked websites for students, or the website itself is not working, the entire basis of the lesson can be completely thrown out the window. It is very difficult for me to simulate information that I was planning on conveying through videos or music, but I would attempt to create backup plans within my lesson plans just in case something went wrong. This brings me to the issue of time. If I am essentially creating two lessons plans every time I plan on using technology I will be using a lot of important planning time. It also takes me longer to create engaging lessons that reach 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in the same room, so I wouldn't want to waste any of that time unnecessarily.

I am a substitute teacher and haven't had to create lesson plans for a classroom. I don't even know how to start to develop them.  If I was a teacher and had all the training, I would probably have a much better answer.  I would have to figure out where the students were at with their class, what the syllabus is about, and stay within state guidelines for creating a classroom lesson plan.  I don't think they can go too far out with planning, because of unforseen days they might miss for weather or whatever troubles arrise.

I have subbed and went into a lot of classes, where I would have to improvise the lesson plans for that day.  If the teacher was not expecting to be gone and there wasn't any prep done for that day.  The kids were pretty good about helping me figure out what they were doing.  They would call out the practical jokers, too.  You know those who didn't want to do the work.  Sometimes the online technology or plans wouldn't work.  I would try to keep up with the lesson plans to keep the kids on track.  Most of the time, when the teacher knew they would be  gone, they would leave great instructions.  

I guess I would say that my biggest challenge was getting the big screen to show the video feeds, from the teachers computer.  There were quite a lot of bugs with the schools technology .  I had a lot of great students who would help figure out the bugs.  As long as the AEA Online resources were available, I would be able to figure out what was needed for the students to view.  I think it is great when I sub, for the students and I, to learn this stuff together.  They help me and I help them.  We get a special connection.  We help each other out.  Students and teacher figuring it out.  

There is so much information covered in this course. One on the challenges for me would be time. I would like to explore some of the resources in depth. The other challenge for me is finding age appropriate material for my students. While they are chronologically 18-21 years of age, they are emergent and context dependent communicators, readers, and writers. It looks like the elementary sections are not too kid like and I would be able to use this level for some of my students. Also, the ability to change lexile levels at the middle and high schools levels would be useful. I am going to explore the social/emotional materials to use with my students, and find a way to adapt materials for my students.

Since I am currently on a very minimal contract to oversee 4 libraries in our school district, I have very little time for each site.  The challenge I face is to try and get information out to the staff about the wealth of information that is available at their fingertips.  Many of our teachers feel overwhelmed with the amount of curriculum that has to be taught in their classrooms.  Somehow, they need to become aware of these online sources that will enhance the research that needs to take place.

After having the opportunity to see what these online resources have to offer for each and every grade level, I think it would be beneficial to share a few of the sources to the teachers that seem to be leaders in using new technology in their classrooms already.  If they become familiar with the resources, word will spread and hopefully others will jump aboard.  It's amazing the amount of free information AEA Online has to offer.  Hopefully, the educators will utilize these products so the students become aware of what they can be using on their own.  

No doubt about it-finding the time to go through the available resources, selecting the online resources that meet the needs of what I am searching for for my students' learning, organizing the resources, and remembering how to save them for future uses will be my biggest challenge. The fact that there are so many wonderful Iowa online resources to choose from is a great problem to have as I move forward.

My plan to avoid feeling overwhelmed with these new found resources, is to focus on the units that will be taught this coming fourth quarter in our grade band. I will talk to the Social Studies teacher to see what 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will be studying in her classroom so I can select books and resources that enhance their learning in Social Studies.

During the 4th quarter in my homeroom ELA, our writing focuses on research standards so helping my students navigate aea online resources will be very beneficial to them then and in the future.

For me, it is getting the word out to teachers about these wonderful resources. Everyone seems so busy and it's tough to get people to read their email unless it is from a parent or the principal. I am hoping to change this after taking this course, I am going to develop a newsletter or flyer which outlines some of the features of these resources. I am also going to work on making short video overviews of the sources for those that might like something other than another email. I can also post these videos on the library website and in the catalog, if I am unable to make it to a class. I am also hoping to invite myself to some of the PLC team meetings, so I can give a quick overview of these resources which would be a good fit for their curriculum area. I need to reassure teachers that when I give an overview it doesn’t need to last the entire class period, a short overview will suffice.

The biggest challenge I see facing me is using it with students. I teach 500+ students every 4 days and the focus for my elementary classes is movement and fitness education. Having students use this resource would be tricky because of the class as well as the age level. What I can see me doing is collaborating with classroom teachers or LEO teachers on projects in the area of health, fitness, and or movement and finding ways to use these amazing resources available through our AEA’s!
Gale looks like a health-related site on the AEA site that might be something that would pertain to my area. It is a “source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and many general interest topics”. The really awesome thing is that it is updated daily! This would be a great resource for research in collaboration with teachers in helping students understand the importance of life-long fitness by digging deeper and exhibiting an understanding through research on this Gale site.

Some of the biggest challenges I think I will have in implementing Iowa AEA Online resources into my classroom are time and learning efficient ways to teach the kids how to use the resources in a manageable time.  I only see the kids once every 4 days for 40 minutes. These minutes are precious in teaching them art history, how to use materials, how to create, present, evaluate and connect with their work.  Adding another element such as teaching them how to use AEA Online Resources could be an “add on” to projects, but I do not feel it as being the main learning goal of the projects. I could teach them how to use some of the resources like Britannica and Global Reference which would be helpful to research with art history.  I could also have them do group work and assign jobs to maybe make it more efficient. One way that I feel using AEA Online resources will be most beneficial would be in implementing some of the videos and art history samples into some of my powerpoints and having kids listen to these while they are working on their art projects. Of course a challenge for this would be making sure to use links with the websites and embedded videos so copyright is not an issue. Also, finding the time to do all the research to find just the right videos to put into the powerpoints.  There is so much information on this site that it will take some time to find just what I am looking for.

I agree with many others who posted that finding the time to explore and plan would be a big challenge. With so much availability that the online resources provide, it may be difficult to quickly pull up a resource. Of course, the best way to overcome is to invest as much time as possible to become easily familiar with each website and how it suits your needs.  I'm sure, that over the course of a school year, I will become much more familiar with navigating the best sites for early childhood.  As a Pre-K teacher, it may be more challenging to find content that is appropriate for the age group, since many of the sites are more for elementary and above. However, for most of my purposes, I should be easily able to find a supporting story with Bookflix and others, or video that can teach an appropriate science concept, such as animals or nature. Also, to help with the lack of time, I will share these resources with my classroom staff. I anticipate that all will be excited to explore these resources!

I do not have a classroom that I will be returning to in the fall but I worked in three different schools in the past and I can imagine some of the issues I could face.  In the past access to a computer was a challenge for some students at home.  I worked both in a small town setting and in what some would call more inner city.  Both student populations had some students that reported not having a computer at home that they could use.  It has been a few years since I was in the classroom and I think it is more likely, though not guaranteed, that students have computers at home.  If students do not have computers or internet access at home, the solution will likely be the same as it was a few years ago, they would have to use one in the library or work on a friend’s computer/internet.  
I also had issues getting access to a full classroom set of computers to use during class.  With the number of students that have smart phones, I would not need to have as many laptops/computers available for students to use.  If I gave students the option to use their phones to access the online resources I could see two possible issues, students could pretend to be doing what they are supposed to while doing other things and students that don’t have a smartphone could be embarrassed by having to use a computer.  I could help alleviate some of the potential stigma of not having a smart phone by commenting that it is much easier to view videos and compose documents with a large screen and a full keyboard.

I think the biggest challenge in implementing Iowa AEA Online Resources in my classroom will be determining where to start! There are so many possibilities that it can be quite overwhelming to sort through and find what is best for my classroom. It will also be challenging to not want to utilize them all immediately which for me isn't realistic and then I abandon ship. So my plan is to determine a timeline in which I will plan to begin implementing a new resource, possibly one a month. Prior to the timeline, I will need to make a list of which resources I want to take advantage of and prioritize the order in which I would like to start implementing them as well.

The biggest challenge for me would be finding the right materials for my first grade students.  I want to make sure that the online options I give to my students are age appropriate.  I think it will also be a challenge to teach my students to use certain resources. When I used Book Flix in my classroom, I usually used it as a whole group reading time.  I would like my students to start using Book Flix has more of an independent station.  I would like to try to use Britannica Learning Zone this year because that is a new resource that I didn't know was available through the AEA.  I need to play with the website and figure the best way to teach my students how to use it.  I think my students will really like to use Britannica Learning Zone because it past years my students loved reading my non fiction books.  Some of my students got really into the non fiction books and Britannica Learning is another great resource for them to research about different things.

I believe the biggest challenge for my school and all schools in using Iowa AEA Online Resources is deciding what is best from a lengthy list, making time to learn about the resource, and implementing the resource in a classroom or building.  I frequently have the opportunity to see all of the resources available to my staff from our AEA representatives.  In the not so distant past, I found that my staff felt overwhelmed by the quantity of the list provided to them.

One thing that our school improvement consultant has done to help with the overwhelming nature of resources is to train the trainers.  She has really helped us get squared away with the best of the best resources.  We have been blessed to have this particular consultant, as she has really helped us learn more during her time.  Also, I have tried to be a leader of learning by taking risks using some of the tools myself before modeling them for the staff.  This is exactly why I have decided to take this class!  

In the world of TLC, I really believe in using our teacher leaders to disseminate information, give them time to experiment, and then teach the teachers.  We have used this model for the past few years, and it has worked well.  Our staff really enjoys working through some of the tools and resources as a group, putting them into action in the classroom, and then sharing the end results.

The biggest challenge for me will be getting started. As I was completing the modules, questions kept popping up in my head, How could I use this site? Can I connect a lesson plan with this? Will students like this? Which one will I start with? There are so many excellent sources on the AEA website to choose one! I am leaning towards Learn360, SIRS, Teen Health and Wellness, iClipArt, YouTube for Schools, and implementing more video. My first steps will be to continue to navigate the AEA website and the different resources available. I will then choose one and implement that source/idea into a lesson plan or create a new one.

There were many resources I would like to explore and some included materials in other languages which is important to me as an English language learner (ELL) teacher. One of the biggest challenges to me is that I pull my students out of the classroom in small groups. I am usually the only one with a computer.I feel that the students would be able  navigate some of the sites with a little instruction on how to do so. I see myself first having to explore the sites more myself as there is a lot of information and I need to understand and be proficient in how to use the sites.  Then I would instruct the students on how to use the sites. My students alway like to share about their countries and I think that I could have them use  CultureGrams to explore their country and see what how they could personalize the factual information.  I could see them sharing the information with their classmates.