Week 1 - Introduction

About Me

    Hello everyone! My name is Nicole Rodriguez, and I am currently ending year two as the Director of Alternative Education at Glenpool High School. I have a Bachelor's in Counseling and I am 3 classes away from completing my Master's in Curriculum and Instruction. I also just completed the alternative teaching certification process and am certified in Psychology and Social Sciences. Alternative Education is my passion and my background in Counseling, as well as my own backstory and journey to where I am now has really helped me connect with these young men and women and help them not only educationally, but personally. It's been so rewarding to me to see these students who were struggling to survive, let alone learn, turn their lives around and achieve their goals. I'm honored to play even a small part in their incredible journey!

My biggest professional goal at the moment is to finish my Master's degree. I hope to use all of the information and resources from this program to help my students learn and grow and to continue to grow our program. As of right now, our Alternative Education program serves 30 students but I would like to expand it in the future and make it a standalone school within the district, much like other districts like Union or Jenks. I am also considering continuing my education and obtaining a Doctoral degree!

ISTE Standards

   

Knowledge Constructor indicator 3a asks students to evaluate the accuracy, validity, bias, origin, and relevance of digital content. My high school students could use this indicator in their psychology class to address Psychology standard PS.2.4 by exploring various types of digital psychological assessments and evaluating their scientific reliability and credibility. Working in small groups, students would select a type of psychological test and locate an online version or description of the test and use their digital literacy skills to critically evaluate the online content they encounter. This would include assessing the accuracy of the information, determining the source and its credibility, identifying potential biases, and considering the relevance of the content. Students will analyze whether the tests are supported by empirical research and if they demonstrate reliability and validity. 

    To demonstrate their learning, students could compile their findings into a multimedia presentation or digital infographic, explaining the type of test, its intended purpose, how it is used, and the strengths and limitations of its digital representations. They could also have other students take each test and use a digital poll or graphs/charts to detail their findings. Students could use a credible search engine to locate their digital psychological tests. They could use Google Scholar to find articles to support their research. Google Slides or Microsoft Powerpoint could be used to create their presentations or Canva to create their digital infographics. 

Kolb's Triple E Framework

    This project is able to integrate many of the instructional strategies provided in Kolb's Triple E framework. In order to engage students, I could use the I Do, We Do, You Do model by first modeling how to navigate a psychological testing website and showing students how to evaluate the website and things to look for. Then as a class we could analyze a second test together and discuss source credibility, test purpose, and potential issues. Finally, students could evaluate a third test independently or with a partner to test their understanding. Throughout this process, I could also use model thinking by thinking aloud while analyzing and providing students with things to consider. An example of this could be "This test doesn't cite their sources, I wonder why?" or "This website doesn't look very professionally made, I wonder how accurate it is?"

    Students will be purposefully partnered with students whose skills compliment their own for their final evaluation. Students who are struggling to understand will be partnered with students who are a little further along to provide peer-to-peer learning opportunities.  To enhance their learning, students will be creating multimedia presentations, digital infographics and comparison charts to present their findings and make their thinking and learning visible to themselves and their peers. 

    Finally, students are able to extend their learning by using real-world tools such as Canva, Google and Microsoft products, and search engines to present their findings. They will be addressing real-world issues by exploring how digital misinformation can impact our society, especially in the realm of mental health and psychology, and how the misuse of psychological labels and terms affects us. We will use turn and talk protocols post-presentation to allow students to share findings and debate. I would also like to invite a school counselor in to discuss how these assessments are used in real life and provide an authentic expert to validate their findings.