Laila Taylor

ITEC Portfolio Artifact Reflection

Standard 3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning:

Candidates model and facilitate effective classroom management and collaborative
learning strategies to maximize teacher and student use of digital tools and resources.
1. Briefly describe the artifact and the context in which it was created. What was/were
your individual contribution(s)?
This artifact was created in ITEC 7480 as a blended online classroom syllabus. The
syllabus specifically addresses the student expectations for assignments and collaborative
learning through synchronous sessions and class blogs. I created this syllabus as part of
an online learning unit plan and curriculum guideline. When creating the syllabus I also
had to provide explanations for how the students were expected to meet all expectations
and how the teacher would maintain student engagement.

2. Explain how this artifact demonstrates mastery of the standard/element under which it
is placed.
This artifact demonstrates my ability to provide expectations for students at the beginning
of a course of how the class will be managed and how the students can succeed. The
most essential tool with classroom management is providing clear expectations for
students on appropriate behavior and procedures desired from the instructor. The
syllabus outlines exactly what the teacher expects from students on a multitude of various
assignments. The syllabus specifically details expectations for collaborative learning, in
both appropriate responses to peers but also in the format in which to respond. The
students are provided with a detailed layout as to who they can and should respond to
their peers or other adults in a variety of modalities. The syllabus clearly identifies goals
for each unit of study that students will cover as well as identify and label standards for
each unit. The learning outcomes for each unit are measureable and the students can
show that they have mastered the content. The objectives also allow students to analyze
the content and move toward higher order thinking.

Laila Taylor

ITEC Portfolio Artifact Reflection

3. What did you learn from completing this artifact? What would you do differently to
improve the quality of the artifact or the process involved in creating the artifact?
I learned various aspects that go on behind the scenes for a blended or online class. The
most important take away that I gained was that the teacher must look for any areas
where students might not be clear of expectations or guidelines. With that it means
breaking down directions in the simplest form to make sure the goals or objectives are
clear for students. When students are engaged in their work and have a good
understanding as to what is expected the teacher does not have to work as hard with
managing the classroom. The work needs to be done in the beginning starting with the
syllabus so that the focus can be on collaboration and student learning and not on student
behavior. The thing that I would do differently would be to survey students after they
read the syllabus determine if they did comprehend the instructions and expectations for
the course or assignment. Although I studied the syllabus for weak areas gathering data
from students would provide concrete evidence of the effectiveness.

4. How did the work that went into creating the artifact impact school improvement,
faculty development, or student learning? How can the impact be assessed?
This artifact impacted my classroom because it started my inquiry into class blogs, which
later became my capstone project theme. My students were greatly impacted through
incorporating a class blog and providing expectations for post and responses in the
syllabus at the start of the year saved me time in class throughout. The learning and
impact can be assessed throughout and determined on a formative basis observed from
the teacher on student engagement and participation.