Lucas Webb's Portfolio Page

Navigation links: ETAP 623 Spring 2024 | Link to my mini-course front page

About Me

Hello! My name is Lucas Webb and I am currently in my second semester of the CDIT program here at UAlbany. I was born and raised in a small town on the very East end of Long Island named Mattituck. I grew up around the beach, mostly surfing, fishing, and enjoying other water sports! I attended my undergrad at SUNY Cortland, where I received a degree in Early Childhood/Childhood Education. I eventually moved and got a job at a school I student taught at in Ithaca, NY. I have been teaching 4th grade in this district for the past 4 years now. Since coming here, some of my hobbies include hiking, climbing, and traveling. My favorite place to visit is Yosemite National Park!

My Topic and Purpose

My learning topic is: Using technology to have open and ongoing communication with families. This course will dive into different applications that can be used to keep in touch with families, including what is necessary to share, and how to effectively share and respond to families. This course will also discuss the importance of using communication within and outside of the classroom, and how to keep students' families actively involved in the learning process. I chose this topic because I feel as though this is an underdiscussed topic in the world of education. During my time in college, there was never any courses, or much direction on how or what to do when communicating with families; mostly just that is a necessary component of the learning process. I want to provide educators with tools and reasons why this is such an important piece in education.

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

- Educators will be able to confidently and effectively communicate with all families in their classroom, both as a whole and individually.

- Educators will be able to successfully use multiple different sources of technological communications, such as Class Dojo and weekly emails.

The attitude that is necessary to develop throughout this course is a sense of confidence when openly communicating with families. Learners will need to be confident in what they are communicating, as well as build skills to make the communication efficient. Learners of this course will gain the knowledge of numerous different applications and possibilities when it comes to communication, as well as learn the benefits of streamline communication.

Needs Assessment

• • The educational problem or opportunity The educational problem/opportunity presented in this mini course is instructional (Shambaugh, 1997). Many teachers in the present day lack the skills and knowledge on how to most effectively use technology to communicate. In addition to this, teachers lack the knowledge of what applications may be used to make communication with families more easily accessible for all.

• • The learners/participants involved (be brief here; more detailed analysis to be added in the following section) The learners in this mini course will be any type of staff member, specifically teachers, in schools who want to have more effective communication with home, in addition to accessing more online tools to do this.
  • Analysis of gaps in term of know vs. need to know (reality vs. ideal) Reality- Teachers will communicate with families in scattered amounts, or not at all. The communication is limited to information that is needed to know. Ideal- Teachers will be able to keep a consistent update to all families related to student learning, as well as be able to field and answer questions families may have. Teachers will also use technology to successfully obtain these goals.

• • Existing efforts: There are many educational tools online that allow teachers to communicate with families through multiple different modalities. These efforts include, but are not limited to: ClassDojo, email, and Seesaw.
  • Intent statement: This mini-course is meant to help participants who want to involve families in student learning through effective, open, and on-going communication

Analysis of the Learner and Context

The learners who will be participating in the mini course will be teachers, specifically classroom teachers, that are aiming to build a deeper connection between the classroom and families of students. Some crucial factors leading up to taking this course would be knowing one’s students. Teachers will use what they learn in this course to communicate with families in several ways. By knowing one’s students, their cultural backgrounds, and what is important to them, and their families will assist the learner on how to best communicate with families. Learners will spend time not only learning about the importance and ways to communicate with families but will put that learning to the test by using this communication in the classroom. To be prepared for this course, learners should have a computer and access to the internet. Also needed will be different applications and media that will be used for communication.

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

• After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:
  • Learners will be able to select one or more methods of communication with families.- 1
  • Learners will consistently use these methods over the period of a school year or desired amount of time.-2  
  • Learners will respond promptly and efficiently to family communication.- 3
  • Learners understand the importance, effectiveness, and purpose of family communication.- 4
  • Use technology as a way to gather student work in a portfolio, as to show families at conferences

Task and Content Analysis

Unit 1: What does family communication look like? Why should we use it?

At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

• Define what family communication is and why it is necessary in the scope of education
• Describe and identify what efficient communication looks like, specifically through email
• Compose and send an email introduction to families in the beginning of the school year.

Unit 2: Examples of on-going communication throughout the school year

At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

• Select an appropriate form of on-going communication with families (e.g. newsletter, applications, etc.) that will be used throughout the school year
• Create a template for communication, such as an outline or schedule on how and when communication will be sent to families
• Compound a list of appropriate topics of interest to discuss in communication with families (e.g what is being learned, important dates, etc.)

Unit 3: Using technology for family conferencing

At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

• Use Seesaw, or another appropriate application, as a portfolio for student work to be shown to families at parent-teacher conferences.
• Effectively use the portfolio to assess student completion of standards, as to complete report cards

Curriculum Map

Curriculum Map

References and Resources

• Shambaugh R.N. & Magliaro, S.G. (1997)