Hayley O'Reilly

I have really been considering this question for the past day or so and getting increasingly excited by all of the possibilities! While in my classroom today I was almost jealous of the ideas I was considering! If I could change my classroom to embody the elements of a 21st century learning space, nearly everything would change. First to change would be the use and flow of the physical space. Students wouldn’t have desks. Instead, we would have rolling tables and chairs that would conform to any configuration that could aid the learning process. Think whole group table for community building and collaboration, small group opportunities, or larger workspace for one or two students. The tables will be adjustable heights. For students who prefer and benefit from standing or sitting, tables can be adjusted as needed. Rolling chairs are also adaptable to the space and configuration of these work spaces. Locks on the wheels of all tables and chairs would also provided the necessary safet...

For this project, I decided to create an online rubric for Genius Hour Presentations. My fourth graders love Genius Hour and are required to present their project on a topic of their choice once a quarter. These presentations are tech-based and are always open to student choice, so some students make iMovies, ebooks, or digital presentations. Having this rubric that is overarching for a variety of tech tools will allow me to use it to assess each student no matter what outlet they use to present their findings.  Using ForAllRubrics was easy for me and I look forward to using it in the future! The account was free and I didn't have to waste time making a table or formatting it as I usually do in Google Docs. The site was self explanatory and I really think it will make grading a breeze. By being able to select the criteria right on my laptop or iPad, grading the presentations will be much easier. Due to the length of these presentations, they usually span the course of...

Standardized testing is a necessary (or obligatory) evil in elementary schools. My classroom is required each spring to forgo our normal learning schedule to partake in PARCC testing. While this time of year is not my (or the students) favorite time of year, I choose to focus on the positive aspects of this learning opportunity with the students and parents. PARCC testing provides children with the opportunity to celebrate their learning, basking in pride of what they have accomplished in school to help them feel confident with testing items. Additionally, testing provides students with an opportunity to be challenged and extend their thinking in both math and english language arts. By taking this silver lining approach to the testing season, I believe that the students are more at ease and mentally prepared for the test. Besides the children feeling at ease, I also believe that it is imperative that the parents feel comfortable by being in-the-know about PARCC testing. In the pas...

As I reflect on this class experience, I am really happy with the unit I created! I like that this course focused primarily on the development of one unit, instead a series of smaller assignments. I feel that using this platform helps because I will actually have use for it during the next school year. I also liked that I was inspired to include new tech tools that I may not have otherwise known about into the unit design. By creating and completing this unit on Extreme Weather Events, I feel like I will have a quality unit to begin the school year with for my group of gifted readers. It will be an awesome way to start the year so that they understand expectations that will be consistent throughout the year. I appreciated the peer feedback during our course, and it helped me to refine my products. It also encouraged me to try something new as I was inspired by the units that the other teachers created! We definitely have some talented people who teach in our district and I am honored...

As my second artifact for this course, I chose to use the Student Road Map which I developed as an introduction and guiding document to the unit. I am really proud of how this turned out, and I really am excited to show it to next year's students! While completing this assignment, I really thought about the model of PBL and how creating engaging situations connected to real life situations are motivating and exciting for students. With this mindset, I created this Road Map while pretending that the students were meteorologists who were attending a "National Meteorologist Association Summit on Extreme Weather" and chosen to conduct research while answering the essential questions for the unit! I think having the students role play during class will really connect them to the goals of the unit, and I'm thrilled to see how into it they get!! Student Road Map

This course was definitely one that I've enjoyed!! I had the opportunity to explore a variety of tech tools and consider new ways to incorporate them into my classroom. I have been inspired by Scott, our instructor, and other members of class to think differently about how I teach, ways which materials are presented to students, and how they can show what they know. I really enjoyed learning more about PBL Lessons because I can see how excited students would get about working on them! I struggled with making appropriate essential questions at first, but after some practice and discussing it with other class members, I felt more confident with following through with my project. I am thrilled with the relevance of this class! I feel like the units and activities I created will be perfect additions to what I already teach and will be able to be added fluidly to my current curriculum. Often, I feel like there are so many cool, new things I want to try, but I don't have the time t...