Utilizing Microsoft Teams to Design Instruction
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Overview and Purpose
The need for effective use of digital tools is becoming increasingly recognized in education, especially in regard to the closures of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. One tool that is available for many teachers is Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is a digital platform that allows teachers to develop, design, differentiate, assess instruction. The uses of Microsoft Teams are seemingly limitless. Unfortunately, many educators struggle to effectively use Microsoft Teams in their classroom.
This mini-course is designed for all educators to benefit from. This mini-course starts at the basics of Microsoft Teams, but provides opportunities for those who are more advanced to receive additional training. Through five units, participants will be taught and will actively engage in: the use and development of lessons in Microsoft Teams; designing content and assessments in Microsoft Teams; differentiating in Microsoft Teams; evaluating students in Microsoft Teams; and, collaboration using Microsoft Teams. By taking this mini-course, participants will learn how to effectively utilize Microsoft Teams in the classroom.
Needs Assessment
Intent
Microsoft Teams is an organizational management tool that has a powerful educational component. Microsoft Teams is an extremely powerful tool in the classroom; however, it has a very high learning curve. The intent behind this mini-course is to help instruct teachers in the different ways that Microsoft Teams can be used in the classroom - to design, implement, manage, assess, and revise instruction.
Gathering Information
In order to understand the needs of the participants in this course, a survey was sent to 108 members of my school community. There were 28 respondents to the survey - ranging from teachers, in a variety of subjects and certification areas, to administrators. Respondents were asked to rank a variety of different areas they fell they would benefit from professional development in.
Summary
A summary of the responses can be viewed in this needs assessment summary
Analysis and Revised Intent
Respondents to the survey seemed to indicate that in general, teachers would like to receive professional development in a variety of different areas related to Microsoft Teams. One area that respondents indicated that they would like to receive professional development in is, using Microsoft Teams to benefit students (differentiating instruction, student enrichment, student intervention). The area that respondents indicated that they would least like to receive professional development in is, in communicating on Microsoft Teams.
After conducting this needs assessment, the intent of this mini-course remains largely unchanged. One area that will receive additional attention will be in how to design instruction to meet the individual needs of students. One area that will receive less attention will be on communication within the Microsoft Teams suite. This mini-course will still focus on best practices for using Microsoft Teams to design and implement instruction.
Performance Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Summarize how to use Microsoft Teams to design instruction
- Display collaboration with colleagues on Microsoft Teams
- Synthesize lessons and content Microsoft Teams
- Create differentiated materials for students
- Integrate Microsoft Teams into their classroom effectively
Course Units
This mini-course includes the following units. Click the title of a unit to go to its page.
Unit 1: Use of Microsoft Teams and Development of Lessons
Unit Objective:
- Participants will be able to understand how to use Microsoft Teams
In this unit, you will:
- Understand the basic functions of Microsoft Teams
- Begin to set up your own Microsoft Teams pages and channels
Unit 2: Design of Content and Assessments on Microsoft Teams
Unit Objective:
- Participants will be able to create materials and assessments on Microsoft Teams
In this unit, you will:
- Understand how to create and upload resources to Microsoft Teams
- Understand how to create assessments on Microsoft Teams
- Continue developing your own Microsoft Teams page by uploading materials and assessments
Unit 3: Differentiation of Materials on Microsoft Teams
Unit Objective:
- Participants will be able to demonstrate how to differentiate content on Microsoft Teams
In this unit, you will:
- Understand the different methods of differentiation available on Microsoft Teams
- Continue developing your own Microsoft Teams page by differentiating content added during the previous unit
Unit 4: Evaluation of Students on Microsoft Teams
Unit Objective:
- Participants will be able to demonstrate effective evaluation of students on Microsoft Teams
In this unit, you will:
- Understand how to create rubrics and provide feedback to students
- Practice evaluating work that has been submitted on your Microsoft Teams page
Unit 5: Collaboration in Microsoft Teams
Unit Objective:
- Participants will be able to develop collaborative communities within Microsoft Teams
In this unit, you will:
- Understand the different ways that Microsoft Teams can be used for collaboration
- Continue to improve your own Microsoft Teams page to provide more opportunities for collaboration
- Provide feedback to Microsoft about how to continue to improve Microsoft Teams
Extended Resources
Unit 1
Banks, J. A., Au, K. H., Ball, A. F., Bell, P., Gordon, E. W., Gutierrez, K. D., . . . Zhou, M. (2007). Learning In and Out of School in Diverse Environments. Seattle: The LIFE Center.
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (1999). Chapter 6: The Design of Learning Environments. In J. D. Bransford, A. L. Brown, & R. R. Cocking, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition (pp. 131-154). Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Microsoft. (2020). Meet Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Social.
Microsoft. (2020). Microsoft Teams for Education Quick Start Guide. Microsoft Teams for Education.
Moorhead, P. (2020, June 22). Microsoft Strengthens Its Education Offering With New Microsoft Teams Features. Forbes.
Protalinski, E. (2019, March 19). Microsoft Teams is Now Used by 500,000 Organizations, Promises 8 New Features. VentrueBeat.
Unit 2
Bishop, B., & Villarreal, I. (2019, October 21). Designing Digital Experiences — 4 Essential Questions for Your Business. Retrieved from Base22: https://base22.com/blog/designing-digital-experiences-4-essential-questions-for-your-business/
Collins, A. (1996). Design Issues for Learning Environments. In International Perspectives on the Design of Technology-Supported Learning Environments (pp. 347-361). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2020). Streamlined ID: A Practical Guide to Instructional Design. New York: Routledge.
Microsoft. (2020, July 1). Microsoft Forms - Create a Quiz Using Forms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBI2joz3-m4.
Microsoft. (2020, April 8). Microsoft Teams - Creating Assignments in Teams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxBdWgPq9vU.
Microsoft. (n.d.). Introduction to Microsoft Forms. Retrieved from Microsoft Support: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/introduction-to-microsoft-forms-bb1dd261-260f-49aa-9af0-d3dddcea6d69
Unit 3
3P Learning. (2020). Differentiation in the Classroom. Retrieved from 3P Learning: https://www.3plearning.com/blog/differentiated-instruction/
Education Week. (2018, September 11). Differentiating Instruction: It's Not as Hard as You Think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7-D3gi2lL8.
Microsoft. (2018, October 4). How to Improve Reading Skills With Microsoft Learning Tools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n5emMEm3Uk&feature=emb_title.
Microsoft. (2020). All About the Immersive Reader. Retrieved from Microsoft Educator Center: https://education.microsoft.com/en-us/resource/9b010288
Microsoft. (2020). Inclusive Classroom: Help Students Read More Effectively. https://content.cloudguides.com/en-us/guides/Help%20students%20read%20more%20effectively.
Microsoft. (2020, June 18). Private Channels in Microsoft Teams. Retrieved from Microsoft: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/private-channels
Tomlinson, C. A. (2000, August). What is Differentiated Instruction. Retrieved from Reading Rockets: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction#:~:text=Differentiation%20means%20tailoring%20instruction%20to,a%20successful%20approach%20to%20instruction.
Unit 4
Brookhart, S. M. (2013). How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Grading. ACSD Express.
edutopia. (2008, July 15). Why is Assessment Important? Retrieved from edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-importance
Kolk, M. (2020). Assessing Student Project Work. Retrieved from Creative Educator: https://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/v07/articles/Assessing_Student_Project_Work
Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2020). Streamlined ID: A Practical Guide to Instructional Design. New York: Routledge.
Microsoft. (2020). Create and Manage Grading Rubrics in Microsoft Teams. Retrieved from Microsoft Support: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-and-manage-grading-rubrics-in-microsoft-teams-68292a5f-f582-4a41-8ba3-8c96288ec5ca#ID0EAABAAA=Grade_with_rubrics
Microsoft. (2020). Review, return, and turn in assignments using the feedback loop. Retrieved from Microsoft Support: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/review-return-and-turn-in-assignments-using-the-feedback-loop-63e5efdd-be09-47f0-87ea-e8e4bcb45aa4
Stenger, M. (2014, August 6). 5 Research-Based Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback. Retrieved from edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger
Tholfsen, M. (2020, August 18). How to Create and Use Rubrics for Assignments in Microsoft Teams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB3LIeJZX2g.
Wiliam, D. (2007). Five "Key Strategies" for Effective Formative Assessment. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1-4.
Unit 5
Bielaczyc, K., & Collins, A. (1999). Learning Communities in Classrooms: A Reconceptualization of Educational Practice. Instructional-Design Theories and Models: A New Paradigm of Instructional Theory, 271-292.
Johnson, S. M. (n.d.). Online Course Development: Discussion Boards. Retrieved from Vanderbilt University: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/cdr/module1/discussion-boards/
Microsoft. (2020). Create a PLC team in Microsoft Teams. Retrieved from Microsoft Support: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-plc-team-in-microsoft-teams-ad803fa2-c967-41b4-ae37-0bf60f17fa00
Tholfsen, M. (2020, April 17). Top 5 Ways Teachers Can Use Microsoft Teams During Remote Learning. Retrieved from Microsoft Education: https://educationblog.microsoft.com/en-us/2020/04/top-5-ways-teachers-can-use-microsoft-teams-during-remote-learning/#:~:text=Connection%20and%20collaboration%3A%20Use%20the,hub%20for%20the%20collaborative%20classroom.
Zhang, J., Scardamalia, M., Lamon, M., Messina, R., & Reeve, R. (2007). Socio-Cognitive Dynamics of Knowledge Building in the Work of 9- and 10-Year-Olds. Education Tech Research Dev, 117-145.
