It’s been a busy summer!  Last week, my husband and I packed up a U-Haul and moved from West Virginia to California — literally one week ago.  We’ve been unpacking our house one box at a time while attending a super-intense professional development for our new school district.  At the same time, I am attending grad school online.  Aaaah!!!!!

In EDLD 5318, I am building an online course.  At first I thought this course looked daunting, but upon starting the course, I am seeing that the point of creating an online course is really to streamline instruction.  I think of all my new students —  mostly poor, immigrant teens in the shadow of Silicon Valley — and the challenges that meet them as they try to navigate eleventh grade as English language learners, and I can identify with them as a new face in this school.  By moving some of my instruction online, I will be able to allow them to revisit instructions and demos whenever they need to, and they will also be able to use translation tools or work with a translator when I am not around.  I will also be able to share their work with their parents and other teachers when needed.

This course will introduce my students to the art makerspace, and to current artists who are doing innovative things in art, today.  This blended learning experience will have students creating both art and reflection pieces in whatever media they choose for each project.  Students will work through the modules one at a time, at their own pace (although, obviously, they will have to partner up for week 5.)  Students will work in both traditional and digital media, but will be required to try at least 3 media throughout the 5-week course.  Students will access the course through the Chromebooks that are available to them through the school and through iPads that are available in the art makerspace.

This course combines both constructivist and connectivist learning theories, in contrast to the school’s heavily behaviorist model.  One challenge for me will be to make a drastically different model work with students who are used to behaviorist models.  Another challenge for me will be to work with English learners in not one but two languages that I do not speak.  The school employes a student translation program in which English Language Learners are paired with stronger English speakers/readers who work as translators and English tutors.  Teachers use Google Translate to create translations of their instructional materials and run those translations past translators (usually parents who work in the school’s Parent Resource Center) before making them available to students.  This system seems to work really well for other teachers, so I have a lot of hope that it will work for me, too.

I am super excited about using this online course with my students as I prepare my art makerspace for the new school year.  I have no idea what to expect, but I feel that this program has prepared me to be flexible, have a growth mindset, and to use challenges as opportunities to try new things.