Jamie Silverstein's Project Portfolio Page

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About Me

I currently teach social studies in NY. The onslaught of COVID-19 and the transition to remote teaching sparked my desire to pursue a degree that incorporates technology into curriculum building.

In my personal life, I like to devote my spare time to animal rescue, particularly concerning cats. I also enjoy cycling, hiking, and travel.

My Topic and Purpose

Topic: Teaching with primary sources in a virtual setting.

Purpose: This course will provide educators with different resources to effectively teach with primary sources in a virtual setting. This course will assist educators in delivering meaningful lessons and activities even while in remote or hybrid settings, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

Learn

Participants will learn how to use various Google applications to create engaging primary source activities.
Participants will learn how to create virtual gallery walks.
Participants will learn how to create graphic organizers in Google Docs

Create

Participants will create a gallery walk utilizing Google Docs AND/OR Google Slides
Participants will create graphic organizers
Participants will create learning objectives that require higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy
Participants will create S.M.A.R.T. learning objectives

Understand

Participants will understand the importance of adapting our teaching of primary sources in virtual settings.
Participants will understand the various uses and basic functions of these google platforms.
Participants will understand the varying levels of Bloom's Taxonomy
Participants will understand what makes a learning objective S.M.A.R.T.

Needs Assessment

Instructional Problem: The COVID-19 epidemic prompted schools to transition to remote instruction. Even now that certain school districts are giving students the option to return to in-person learning, a large number of students are still opting to finish out the year remotely, or at least in a hybrid setting. Social studies teachers must be able to adapt their instruction to online learning. Veteran teachers are often used to reusing their lessons year after year. Since remote learning has been put in place, this has proved difficult to do, if not impossible. Therefore, this course aims to provide social studies teachers with the knowledge and resources to create engaging, rigorous, culturally relevant, standards-based lessons and activities that can be used in a virtual setting. Even after the pandemic ends, possessing the skills that will be obtained from this course is still a benefit to social studies teachers, given that they are teaching a generation of students who have grown up with technology their entire lives.

Nature of What is Being Learned: Social studies teachers will learn how to utilize Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Forms in order to adapt their instruction of primary sources to a virtual setting. They will ultimately be creating their own virtual gallery walk.

Gathering Data: In order to assess the need for this mini-course, I conducted a survey among social studies teachers to gather data in regard to the subject. The social studies teachers who were surveyed included other teachers at my school, as well as current teachers who were my peers throughout my undergraduate degree. In total, I received 11 responses. You can find my survey here and my survey synthesis ''here''.

Instructional Content: This mini course is meant to help educators effectively teach with primary sources in a virtual setting. The unit ends with a culminating project of creating a virtual gallery walk using Google Docs AND/OR Google Slides. Each of the prior units help prepare the learner for this task. In unit 1, the instructor uses a video to model the usage of various Google platforms to create primary source materials. After each video, students are assessed via a Google Form. For the unit summative assessment, learners will create a graphic organizer in Google Docs using the skills they learned from the videos. Unit 2 focuses on developing effective learning objectives. Students will read related literature and watch related videos on the subject. They will then complete a Google Form. Next, students will use what they have learned to create learning objectives for the upcoming gallery walk that they will make at the end of the course. In this unit, learners also select a topic for their virtual gallery walk. Additional resources are provided within the unit to assist students in selecting primary sources for their virtual gallery walk. Unit 3 is where learners actually create their virtual gallery walk. They will be provided with links to a model virtual gallery walk as an exemplar. They will also be provided with a rubric to refer to when creating their virtual gallery walk. After submitting their virtual gallery walk, students will complete a self-assessment via google form. Students are to refer to the rubric when assessing themselves.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

This mini-course is designed for social studies educators who teach grades 7-12. The onslaught of COVID-19 drove many schools to transition to remote learning. While some school districts have returned to physical school buildings full time, many are still in a fully remote or hybrid setting. The aim of this course is to assist teachers in adapting their instruction, particularly that of which involves primary sources, to a remote setting. Nevertheless, educators teaching in districts that are back to physical school full time can still utilize this course. Studies indicate that teachers are more eager to learn new technology when it can be applied to their own content area instruction (Shifflet, 2015). Therefore, this course is geared towards social studies educators only.

This mini-course is accessible through the KNILT platform. In order to complete this course, the learner will need access to stable internet access and a computer. While this course can be completed on a cellular device, it is not recommended.

Prerequisite Skills

Basic knowledge on how to navigate Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Forms
Access to, and ability to operate a computer.
Access to wifi
Strong content area knowledge (social studies)
Basic knowledge of NYS Social Studies Framework

Supporting Traits

Desire to learn
Willingness to experiment with new/unfamiliar technology
Desire to increase student engagement in a virtual setting

Performance-Based Objectives

Unit 1

LWBAT understand how to use various Google applications in relation to primary source activities.
LWBAT create a graphic organizer using Google Docs

Unit 2

LWBAT create learning objectives that promote higher order thinking skills and are aligned to the gallery walk activity that they will create in Unit 3.

LWBAT determine a historical topic for the virtual gallery walk activity they will create in Unit 3.

Unit 3

LWBAT create a virtual gallery walk utilizing Google Docs and/or Google Slides that promotes higher order thinking skills in relation to the content at hand.

LWBAT self-evaluate their virtual gallery walk utilizing the provided rubric.

Task Analysis

Unit 1

LWBAT understand how to use various Google applications in relation to primary source activities.

1. Watch a prerecorded video that models HOW to create a primary source activity using Google Docs

Learners will be assessed via a Google Form

2. Watch a prerecorded video that models HOW to create a primary source activity using Google Slides

Learners will be assessed via a Google Form

3. Watch a prerecorded video that models HOW to create a primary source activity using Google Forms

Learners will be assessed via a Google Form

LWBAT create a graphic organizer using Google Docs

1. Design a content specific graphic organizer using Google Docs

Unit 2

LWBAT create learning objectives that promote higher order thinking skills and are aligned to the gallery walk activity that they will create in Unit 3.

1. Read portions of academic publications that elaborate on how to create learning objectives that are aligned, effective, and promote higher order thinking.

Learners will be assessed via a Google Form. They will be presented with examples of learning objectives and will have to evaluate whether or not these objectives promote higher order thinking. They will have to justify their responses with evidence from the readings.

2. Learners will develop learning objectives for what will become their virtual gallery walk, the culminating project of this mini course.

Learners will submit their objectives via Google Form

LWBAT determine a historical topic for the virtual gallery walk activity they will create in Unit 3.

Learners will submit their topic via a Google Form

Unit 3

LWBAT create a virtual gallery walk utilizing Google Docs and/or Google Slides that promotes higher order thinking skills in relation to the content at hand.

Learners will submit their Gallery Walk by sharing a link to it.

LWBAT self-evaluate their virtual gallery walk utilizing the provided rubric.

Learners will be provided with a rubric to aid them in their self evaluation. The self evaluation will be submitted via Google Forms.

Curriculum Map

Click HERE to view the curriculum map for the course.

Course Units

References and Resources

Garcia, Patricia. “Accessing Archives: Teaching with Primary Sources in K–12 Classrooms.” The American Archivist, vol. 80, no. 1, 2017, pp. 189–212. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26356726

Gormly, B., Seale, M., Alpert-Abrams, H., Gustavson, A., Kemp, A., Lindquist, T., & Logsdon, A. (2019). Teaching with Digital Primary Sources: Literacies, Finding and Evaluating, Citing, Ethics, and Existing Models. #DLFteach. https://doi.org/10.21428/65a6243c.6b419f2b

Hicks, Troy, and Kristen Hawley Turner. “No Longer a Luxury: Digital Literacy Can't Wait.” The English Journal, vol. 102, no. 6, 2013, pp. 58–65. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24484127

Morgan, Denise N., and Timothy V. Rasinski. “THE POWER AND POTENTIAL OF PRIMARY SOURCES.” The Reading Teacher, vol. 65, no. 8, 2012, pp. 584–594. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41853136

NYSED. K-12 Social Studies Framework. New York State Education Department. http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/k-12-social-studies-framework.

Spindler, Matt. “Collaborative Analysis and Revision of Learning Objectives.” NACTA Journal, vol. 59, no. 2, 2015, pp. 111–115. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/nactajournal.59.2.111

Teachings in Education. (2018, January 18). Writing Lesson Objectives for Classroom Teachers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS5wMv_ILXE

WeTeachNYC, NYC Department of Education. Social studies scope and sequence: Grades K-8. WeTeachNYC. https://www.weteachnyc.org/resources/resource/social-studies-scope-and-sequence-grades-k-8/.

WeTeachNYC, NYC Department of Education. Social studies scope and sequence: Grades 9-12. WeTeachNYC. https://www.weteachnyc.org/resources/resource/social-studies-scope-and-sequence-grades-9-12/.