Welcome to Melissa Benoit's Showcase Page!
On here you'll find example assignments and projects, as well as classroom tools that showcase my technology skills. I've broken my work into different categories to help show my vast experience. Scroll down to see my websites, digital movies, digital tools, mobile technology, presentation tools, and professional development. Enjoy!
Websites
Wikispaces
Here is a Wikispaces I made for CEP 811. I made it specifically for my Senior English B class. They are finishing their high school career and I wanted them to have an online experience. I've used this for two trimesters and it was a helpful place for students to access work outside of class and get additional resources. It was also a place students could collaborate together. Overall, it was the easiest to create and maintain and is something I plan to continue to use. I even taught a professional development on using wikis because I feel so confident using it. |
Moodle
This is the Moodle site I used when I taught Senior English B-Blended. It was the first hybrid class taught at my school. Students came to English on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They logged into the Moodle site outside of class to make up for class time on Tuesday and Thursday. It was a nice format because it allowed students to access content, collaborate with each other, and publish their work. The tool has so many elements to it and took a lot of set-up. However, I now feel comfortable using it. I plan to continue using it to teach Senior English B-Blended in the future.
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Weebly
Here is the Weebly I made this fall for my classes. I was looking for a way to get students content outside of class. The Weebly had a nice look and was easy for students to access. It was one of my first choices because of its professional look and easy set-up. However, it quickly became a place where I just listed class agendas and assignments. It didn't allow students to interact with me, each other, or the content. The Weebly is a great tool, but didn't meet all the needs of my classroom environment. However, it was a great way for me to practice making websites.
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Edmodo
This is the Edmodo I created for my classes last year. It was my first time having a class website. I picked it because it looked like Facebook and was something the students would find familiar and be more willing to engage with. It was also private, where you needed a password to log-in. I tried several different features of it, but never felt it really worked for my classes. Students liked the Facebook style set-up and the fact they could post with classmates. It helped me see the benefits of having an online presence for students to visit and be part of.
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Digital Movies
iMovie
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This is the iMovie I made for CEP 800. The goal was to create a lesson plan that encompassed the different learning perspectives. I focused on cognitive and social perspectives in my lesson plan on credible sources. The video is a summary of what I did in my lesson and also how it went. I learned a lot from making the video. It made me think about my audience and purpose, something I teach my students to be conscious of. It forced me to think about student learning and also try several different methods when teaching credible sources. I also learned a lot about working with iMovie. I had used it during my student teaching, but I feel much more confident after making this movie. I love learning new technology tools and feeling more competent with multiple different mediums. It was a great chance for me to try new technology and also think about how I'm teaching students.
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This is a movie I made using MovieMaker as an example for my students. They create "Where I am From" poems and this year I pushed them further and had them create a movie to go along with their poem. In order to help them make their own and also show what expectations I had, I created my own (shown above). Since MovieMaker needs to be downloaded to the computer, it wasn't always conducive for working at school and at home. Students liked that it had several editing options, which allowed their projects to look polished. Students were able to record over their videos or insert music. I was able to introduce them to a more extensive tool, which pushed them to enhance their technology knowledge and create a project they were proud to show off.
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This is a movie I made using the online website, PhotoPeach. I created it as an example for my students as an alternative to MovieMaker. It is an easy to use, free, online slideshow tool. Students could access it from anywhere and because it has limited editing options, it was a much simpler way to create their video. Here is my example: Where I am From. Having this tool as an option, allowed students with different technological abilities to feel comfortable. I was able to differentiate instruction and also create a hands on project for students to enjoy.
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Discussion Tools
TodaysMeet |
Padlet |
Blog
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This is an example of a TodaysMeet session that I used with my Advanced Placement Language class. Students were presenting their research projects on The Crucible. As students presented, the rest of the class was actively engaged by posting comments and questions on TodaysMeet. It took some practice, but I was impressed with the level of interaction this resource allowed. Students weren't just staring at the presenters, but instead were asking questions that enhanced the presentations. This is definitely a resource I will continue to use with my students.
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This is an example of a Padlet I've used with my students. I am able to pose questions and students can post answers. It also allows them to respond to each other. Students like it because they were able to post their ideas publicly. There are settings which allow the padlet to be public or private. For security reasons, I made it so students had to enter a password to enter. Overall, I got more thoughtful, original answers than when I have asked students the same questions on paper in class. I will definitely continue to use this source.
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This is the blog I started in my pre-student teaching. I re-visited the blog when I started the MAET program. It was a great way to reflect on what new tools I was creating and also how those tools were working in my classroom. I was able to publish the different projects in a public place giving me an authentic audience. I was also able to share my work with other students in the program and also colleagues. The personal blog experience made me feel more confident teaching blogs. In my Senior English B-Blended class, I had students use blogs instead of journals. Creating my own helped me better understand how to use them and help my students create their own.
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Digital Resources
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StAIR
This is the StAIR I created using PowerPoint for CEP 811. It's an interactive grammar lesson, covering nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Students click through the slides and as they answer correctly they get to move forward. If they answer incorrectly, it sends them back to review again before they can continue. There are also Quia quizzes at the end for students to show their comprehension. It was a good activity for students to review grammar and it allowed them to work at their own pace and get extra help when needed. It was something new for me. It took a lot of work to create the tool, but now I have it to re-use over and over again. I was able to differentiate instruction without having to create multiple assignments.
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Google Form
Google Forms is a tool I've used several times in my own classes. I also used it in CEP 811, CEP 812, and CEP820. It's an easy way to create a survey and helps me see what information students already have about a topic. This Google Form, I created to gauge student experience with technology. It also allowed students to reflect on class and help me improve as a teacher. Since my students all have Google accounts, accessing the forms feature is easy. It also puts the data into a spreadsheet to manipulate. I've definitely benefited as a teacher from creating these forms.
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Mobile Technology
RemindAs I've gone through the MAET program, I've learned more about mobile technology and using it in my classroom. Remind 101 has been an extremely successful tool. Students sign up online to receive reminders about class, then I'm able to send text messages to students through the computer (without sharing my phone number or them sharing theirs). Students who signed up for it loved getting the text messages, so they didn't forget anything that was due. I was worried about keeping up with it, but I was able to do it from my iPhone or schedule messages ahead of time. It is a tool I plan to continue using to help students stay organized and focused on class expectations.
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This is my Twitter account. Students would follow me @msbenoitHW to find out important deadlines or what is due the next day. Not every student had a Twitter account, but those that did enjoyed following me and keeping up with class. It was helpful to link to websites or assignments on Dropbox. Students were able to be on their social networking site and get homework reminders. It also allowed me to get used to Twitter in an academic setting. It helped me see ways that students could use Twitter in class. I haven't tried it yet, but it's definitely a goal.
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PollEverywhere
Poll Everywhere is a free, online survey tool. Students are able to send a text message through their cell phone or a message through a computer to respond. It gives instant feedback and can be projected on to a screen for everyone to see. It is a live feed, so as people send in the response it shows up. It's also anonymous, so students don't have to feel self-conscious about their answers. I use it to gauge student understanding. It's been extremely beneficial to get student answers immediately. It helps me gear my teaching towards their specific needs. They also enjoy it because they get to send a text message.
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KahootKahoot is a free online tool that can be used to quickly assess student learning. It's easy to setup and students use their phones to answer. It can be projected on to a screen, so the entire class can see the questions. I use it in my classes to quickly gauge students understanding of a topic. Since it's in a game format, the competitive nature engages students. The Kahoot above was a quick review of the types of sentences. Instead of a a standard worksheet, I was able to get all students to participate and could then have a follow-up discussion on what students didn't understand.
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Presentation Tools
Prezi
I created this Prezi for CEP 815. The class focused on technology and leadership. This Prezi was about the different types of leaders. Since I made it on Prezi, I had to think about how I was going to present it and find a picture to accompany each slide. This helped me gain a more in-depth understanding of each type of leader. I've also started asking students to create Prezis for presentations instead of PowerPoint. Having made my own made me more equipped to help them. It's easy to access because it's completely online, so students can work on it anywhere. It also saves automatically and is easy to share. This tool has made presentations in my class much more engaging.
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Glogster
I created this Glog for CEP 812. The Glog is a visual representation of my professional learning plan. It showcases the different areas that impact me in my teaching. Glogter is a free online tool that lets students make a digital poster. It's also possible to add videos and links. It's a little touchy with loading depending on the computer. So working through some of the frustrations made me feel more confident helping students.
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Planning and Organization
EvernoteI discovered Evernote several years ago when I was at a technology conference. It's a free, online resource that keeps files, notes, and images in one place. It's easy to access from any device. I recently used it when I was at conference and love how easy it is to go back and review my notes. I haven't tried this tool in the classroom yet, but think it would be a great resource for my students, as they take notes in class, or even when working on a project. It's a great way to keep everything organized.
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DropboxDropbox is one of my favorite resources both professionally and personally. It allows me to save all of my documents, photos, and files into the cloud. It includes a public folder, which instantly makes public links, so I can share my files with others. I have it on all my devices, so I have access to everything from anywhere. Although I also use Google Drive, I have used Dropbox for longer and feel it is easier to use.
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PlanbookI tend to use a traditional plan book when planning for my classes. I like being able to erase and re-plan. However, I tried Planbook and enjoyed how easy it was to organize my lessons. It was easy to move things from one day to another as interruptions happened or students needed more time. It let me list my objectives, daily agenda, and homework. There is also a student key code, so students can access the plans. It helped keep me organized and was easy to access from anywhere. The only downside is it does cost money.
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Professional Development
Wiki Presentation
This is a presentation I made using Edcanvas. I presented on Wikis to my school during a PD day. The wiki handout below is what I handed out to the staff. The handout and presentation contain some useful links. The presentation was a good way for me to practice my leadership skills and get used to being the expert in technology. It also help colleagues learn about wikis. I feel more prepared to present in the future.
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Google Drive Presentation
In CEP 812, we worked in small groups to create a professional development video. Our group chose to focus on Google Drive because it's such an exciting new tool. I've included the original link to the Google Presentation on the left. Below is the actual video we created to walk through the presentation. The video helped me think about how to present to colleagues. It also helped me learn more of the tools Google Drive has to offer and how I can utilize them in my own classroom.
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