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Technology
Technology Requirements Stated
Technology Requirements
Instructions for tools needed specifically for my course are included within the instructions.
Students and parents have access to the student handbook, which outlines technology requirements. Each student also receives a hard copy at orientation.
Student-issued laptops come equipped with the necessary technology tools.
Technical Assistance
If students run into technical issues on their school laptop, they can click the "tech help" link on the main page of the school website.
Manageable Segments
Course and Lesson Objectives Clearly and
Concisely Written
Weekly objectives are beneath each topic.
My courses are divided into weekly segments.
Students are given specific contacts for specific technical issues.
Logical Progression
Instructions for how to contact technical support are given in the student orientation manual.
Syllabus
Technology Tools Explained
Within each week, students can mark their progress by checking off each resource as they finish viewing it.
In my English course, students build grammar, writing, and reading skills gradually throughout each quarter. They have many practice opportunities before being expected to complete larger projects or tests.
Each assignment is located beneath the associated material.
Connectivity
Course objectives are outlined in the course syllabus as well as in each week of the course.
All students are required to take a "Tech Tools" course upon enrollment at Mountain Heights Academy. This is where all technology tools are explained and practiced so that students can apply these skills to their core classes.
Just as each week progresses in a logical way, so does each quarter.
Writing:
Quarter 1: Argumentative writing
Quarter 2: Informational writing
Quarter 3: Both argumentative and informational timed essays
Quarter 4: Creative writing
Reading:
Quarter 1: We first study a more modern novel that students can easily relate to and that uses language that is familiar to them.
Quarter 2: Branch out to Romantic Literature
Quarter 3: Shakespeare
Quarter 4: Short stories
The content for each week builds upon previous content and progresses in a logical way. For example, in the week shown above, students first learn about the author and prominent themes before reading the novel. Similarly, in weeks that focus on writing, students will first learn a grammatical concept, and then they will apply that concept to a writing assignment.
Assignments are due weekly to assess what students have learned as well as prepare them for the next week.
Students first learn basic essay structure and they are given multiple weeks to write a solid paper. Later they are expected to be able to write an essay within one hour. At the end of the year, they are given more freedom and they get a chance to write creatively.
Content Made Available
I assign activities that can be done without being connected to the internet. For example, when we are reading a novel, students have the option of reading a hard copy (given to them by the school) if they are not able to use the online format.
Aligned to Standards
Easy Navigation
If long-term internet issues occur with a student, I work with them to adjust their workload and due dates.
Objective
Common Core Standard
When students click on resources and activities, links at the top of the page allow them to navigate back to the previous page.
Students are given specific instructions within the course about how to navigate through the course and about how to use the technology.
I keep a document that specifies which standards each weekly objective is linked to.
Self-Assessment
Content is available in single and multipage format:
My courses align with national Common Core Standards.
There is a link to the above document at the top of each course for student and parent reference.
Flashcards are another form of self-assessment.
Multiple Forms of Assessment
Useful links to instructional videos and outside websites are provided within assignments. These links open in a new window so that students don't lose the main course page.
Students are provided with resources such as plagiarism trackers, student samples with teacher notes, rubrics, outlines, graphic organizers, and peer editing assignments to self-check their papers before they submit. I also allow them to work with me online before the assignment is due, so that I can give them useful feedback before they make their final submission.
I use a website called Utah Compose to help students assess their writing level and discover pathways to improvement. The website provides immediate feedback and optional interactive lessons targeting specific problem areas.
There is a progress bar in each practice assignment that shows them how much they have mastered.
Mini-projects, such as storyboards and storybirds, allow students to prove their understanding of concepts learned; it also solidifies these concepts before moving on to more difficult ones.
Ancillary Resources
I use this same program for summative assessments which test the students on grammar concepts learned throughout each quarter.
Noredink allows students to practice until they understand a concept. They receive helpful hints and examples as they work through the practice so that they can perfect their grammar skills and have fun doing it.
Essays function as summative assessments of the writing and grammatical concepts we have studied.
I use different kinds of resources to enhance my lessons and reach all types of learners.
Review games and ungraded quizzes allow students to check their understanding before being tested.
High Expectations
Quizzes function as formative assessments.
Layout and Readability
I include tutorials for using technology and performing tasks specific to my course. These tutorials appear in a separate section in order to locate them more easily.
I have high expectations for my students; they meet these expectations by completing rigorous coursework and projects.
Discussion forums allow me to informally assess student understanding.
Consistency in Web Pages
The layout of my courses is created to enhance readability through consistent formatting.
Presentations allow students to present what they know in a creative way.
Students can review concepts we have studied by using the resources found in the course sidebar.
Each webpage used in my courses is consistent both visually and in functionality.
Each week includes a bolded label, quote, and picture.
Clear formatting with bolded subject headers and objectives.
Term Exams are a summative form of assessment to determine what students know without the aid of notes.
Students navigate multiple-page modules by using forward and back arrows, or by using the table of contents.
Mind mapping allows me to assess students' knowledge of what they have read.
Screencasts and student samples marked with teacher notes provide clear examples of expectations.
I save past projects so that students know what to aim for. Students who submit excellent work get to have their work featured on our class "Wow Wall."
Assignments are numbered in the order they are given. Each assignment includes the due date in parenthesis.
Variation in Activities
I use different kinds of resources to enhance my lessons and reach all types of learners.
Concepts Applied
All lesson material and assignments are indented, allowing the topics and objectives to stand out.
Each single page module is formatted the same throughout each course.
Students compose shorter texts as well as longer ones.
The concepts taught in my courses can be applied in students' current and future lives.
Informational Text
Textual: Students read various types of texts, as well as compose their own (short, long, formal, informal). I include both modern and classic literature, as well as informational and fictional.
Examples: Fahrenheit 451, Othello, President Reagan's Inaugural address, and multiple accounts of those who have climbed Mt. Everest.
Auditory: Students can choose to listen to texts while reading along. Many resources have a text or auditory option so that they can choose what best meets their needs.
Capitalized action words: "READ, WATCH, ASSIGNMENT."
Volunteering at the senior citizens' center
Rubrics provide students with a detailed layout of what is expected in order earn the maximum amount of points.
Students reading to children
Visual: I provide many visual resources, and I require students to share their own. In our Frankenstein background project, students create a presentation based on their research of various topics related to Frankenstein and the 1800s. They watch each others' presentations in order to gain background knowledge of our novel before reading it.
Kinisthetic: Students participate in service activities in each course.
Writing Mechanics
Practice College Essays: Students get to practice responding to prompts they might see on a college application.
Service Learning: Students have the opportunity to serve within their communities while developing valuable skills.
Visit a grocery store to find GMOs: While studying Frankenstein, students are asked to visit a grocery store and find 3 items that contain GMOs.
Opportunities to get published: A few students have had the opportunity to publish their essays in formal anthologies.
Create Open Educational Resources: In my courses, students create presentations and record audiobooks that can be released as open educational resources or be used by other students.
Contests: Students can participate in a variety of contests where they can earn awards and money.
Students apply themes: When we study a novel, students apply the themes that we study to their own lives. For example, when we study censorship while reading Fahrenheit 451, students are asked to talk with a local librarian or community member to solicit their ideas about censorship incidents close to them. One student had a particularly beneficial conversation with his librarian.
Students write about real-world issues: Students have explored real-world topics in their writing such as bioethics, censorship, race, and parenting. They learn about how these issues affect them personally through course presentations and through their own research.
The content used in my courses is free of grammatical errors including spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
Student contest entry
Enhanced Content
Quizzes are used to check student understanding of core concepts.
Students have access to glossaries that review the literary devices we study, as well as grammatical rules and commonly confused words.
Students use an online notebook to write and organize their own notes.
Fair Use Guidelines
Videos are used enhance themes, text, and instruction.
All content used in my courses is cited properly; I use content that is released into the public domain or that is licensed for educational purposes.
Students self-assess through use of flashcards, ungraded quizzes, and peer reviews.
Links provide necessary content, clarifying tutorials, and supplementary resources.
Audio books and audio grammatical lessons help students solidify the text and examples that they read.
I use images that have a Creative Commons License, and I cite them accordingly. Students are expected to do the same.
Discussion: Voicethreads allow me to explain concepts in a more visual way; It is also an effective medium for class discussion as students comment using their webcam or keyboard. Actively Learn, another integral part of my course, allows students to discuss the text by creating and responding to annotations.
Other resources offer differentiated instruction in order to reach all kinds of learners.
Student Feedback
Bachelor's Degree: Brigham Young University (English Teaching)
Master of Education: Western Governor's University
Experience: 5 years
Courses
Courses I have written for Mountain Heights Academy:
English 8
English 8 Honors
Leadership/Peer Mentoring
-"I have really enjoyed this class. My teacher, Jenna Ellis is fun; I have learned a lot in her class. I feel she does a really good job explaining and breaking down difficult assignments. She teaches this class with clear instructions, good tips, and helpful concepts I will use my whole life. Great teacher!"
"The course teaches us what we have to learn in the best way."
Wow!!! I really enjoy having you for my English teacher this year. You are super kind and nice. I really enjoy how you spend so much time trying to help me with my assignments. I really appreciate it.
Qualifications
Contributions to:
-English 10 (aligned to Common Core Standards)
-English 10 Basic (also aligned to Common Core Standards)
-English 10 Honors
-Public Speaking
Mrs. Ellis is the best English teacher I have ever had. She is for many reasons in both personality and teaching skill. Mrs. Ellis is incredibly personable and approachable. She never intimidates me and I feel as if I can talk to her about whatever I want to! She is often willing to impart in stories from her life to relate to the students. Each student can really feel she cares from the time she spends getting to know each one of us.
Mrs. Ellis puts time into her English course and is always developing it to become better and more effective. One way she takes advantage of this is through Open Educational Resources. Using OER she is able to update the course and keep it interesting and modern while still allowing the students to effectively learn everything that they need to.
Not only does she put a lot of effort into the course, she also puts a lot of effort into the students. Mrs. Ellis really encourages learning by giving a second chance on assignments so that we can learn what we did wrong and figure out how to do it right. She is a big motivator to her students to become the best that they can be both in their writing and in their lives.
Between how much she cares and the way that she teaches Mrs. Ellis has become a very influential teacher in my life. She relates to me and is able to understand what I am going through. Her effective teaching has helped me develop my writing on so many levels including technique, vocabulary and creativity. Mrs. Ellis is every bit the ideal English teacher and I’m so glad that I have had the opportunity to be taught by her!
-Julianne Orton, 10th grader
I believe that integrating technology into education is the best way for students to be successful in the 21st century, not only as students, but as future members of the workforce. I work hard to continually incorporate the newest and most effective interactive resources for my students, including those that help them to improve their reading, writing, communication, technological, and leadership skills. My students have a unique learning experience as they create and collaborate using technology to its fullest.
Students receive individualized instruction and personalized feedback as part of their learning experience in my courses. Not only do they get the individual attention that they need, but they also have the unique opportunity of participating in activities, such as service learning and in-text collaboration, which they may not be able to do in a bricks and mortar setting.
Interactivity
Over the last few years I have worked to combine student-student, student-teacher, and student-text interaction by using a tool that I implemented into my course called Actively Learn. This innovative tool allows students to interact with all kinds of texts in a way that a hard copy simply cannot duplicate. I have learned the features of this tool by working with the creators personally, and I have helped to train this year as we incorporate it school-wide. It has been exciting to see how this has changed the level at which students are able to respond to texts; they respond with greater detail and depth!
Multimedia
Interactive Activities
Students learn background information about texts and authors through interactive online resources.
Voicethreads allow students to flip through content at their own pace and comment on teacher questions. They can also create their own presentations this way.
Flashcards allow students to click on what they need to know and link the associated definition.
I use instructional videos to clarify assignment details, show examples, and teach concepts.
Last year I applied for and won a grant that I used to purchase a subscription for storyboardthat.com, a tool that allows students to create a comic-style story based on texts we read in class. This allows them to prove their close reading skills and exercise their creativity.
Multimedia both supplements material and acts as the main frame for content.
Videos supplement the text and bring a visual element to what they read.
Students learn content through a variety of interactive activities.
Students interact with the real world by connecting themes from our novel studies to their daily lives.
I use videos about both informative and argumentative topics to supplement student research.
I create engaging videos to teach content and highlight important details.
Course review games include engaging graphics and background music. These give students a chance to check what they know before an exam.
Students interact with the text by highlighting and making their own annotations. They can also click on confusing words in order to have them defined.
I search for videos through outside resources that can bring the concepts we are studying to life.
Mountain Heights Academy is an online public charter school serving students in grades 7-12. We offer flexibility, individualized instruction, and one-on-one student-teacher interaction.
Expectations
Peer Interactivity
Students have many and varied opportunities to interact with their peers in the course.
Annotations: Students respond to each others' annotations and comments on the text.
Discussion Forums: Students respond to each others' thoughts on class topics by participating in forums. Expectations for how to respond are included in the instructions.
Expectations of behavior, including late work, etiquette, and consequences of plagiarism, are emphasized in the syllabus.
Assignments include step by step instructions. Expectations are clearly stated with links to templates, examples, and tutorials.
Google chat: Students communicate with each other and with their teachers through google chat.
Marking guides and rubrics give a detailed outline of what students need to do to receive a high score.
Instructor Interactivity
Projects: Students can collaborate on various class projects. I facilitate this by providing a forum through which they can find a partner.
Peer Editing: Students give feedback on each others' papers.
Participation expectations are stated both in the syllabus and in each assignment.
It is my job to maintain effective communication with my students. I communicate with them through email, google chat, phone calls, texts, tweets, and assignment feedback.
Student Contacts
Communication Methods
I keep track of my contact with students, including notes about where they are academically and how I can help them. In this document I track reading levels, accommodations, and student interests.
I upload weekly screencasts in each course to give an overview of that week's assignments and to explain content.
Communication Expectations
To communicate reminders, shout-outs, and course-specific announcements, I use our class twitter feed.
Students can receive one-on-one help by chatting me within their google documents. This way they can see how I edit, and ask questions about my comments. If they do not want to work with me while I edit, they can also simply reply to my comments so that I know to clarify.
I communicate class information, including upcoming projects and enrichment opportunities, through emails set up in our grading system, Genius. This also allows me to target specific grade brackets of students so that I can cater my message to their needs.
My expectations for student communication are located in the syllabus for each course. I respond to student communication within 24 hours of them contacting me. This applies to grading turn-around as well.
Students can video chat with me, which gives us the option of screen-sharing when I need to show them a concept or if they want to walk me through their process.
Contact Information
My Contact information is clearly visible at the top of the sidebar in each of my courses. My email and phone number are included in this block, as well as an invitation to set up an appointment outside of my office hours if needed.
Also listed in this block are my daily office hours with the week number included to avoid confusion. During my office hours I can work one-on-one with students. I try to vary my office hours so that I am available to students who work at different times in the day.
My office hours are also posted in our school grading system for the benefit of parents.