Caitlin Seguin
High School English Teacher & Instructional Designer
Bachelors Degree
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Secondary English Education- Butler University
Masters Degree
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Learning, Technology and Design- Central Michigan University
Email: caitgenord@gmail.com
ED TOOL ANALYSIS:
Altering Shakespearean Insults Lesson to Use Microsoft Teams
EDU 643 Week 1
The Original Lesson:
My 9th grade students read Romeo and Juliet. One of our most fun/engaging lessons comes in Act 3 with the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio. During the reading of this scene, my students participate in a Shakespearean Insult Battle. Students are given a list of words sorted into columns to create insults. Students use iPads/phones to look up the meaning of archaic words. They are to craft five insults of their own and determine the meaning of the insults. Then the real fun happens. Students are paired up, by me, to deliver their insults to a classmate using “thou art a” before their insult. I determine whose insult was stronger and they move on to the next round. At the end, there are two students who have put together the best insults, and they face off. The class votes on the best insult and that student wins a prize! This lesson very clearly ties to affective association because students put emotion into their insults. It ends up being a very humorous class and brings us closer as a community. This lesson includes a lot of student-to-teacher interaction and student-to-student interaction. Students can share strategies for how to form a good insult or how to find definitions. Overall, this lesson is very involved and collaborative.
Here is screenshot from my Shakespearean Insult PPT.
Description of Microsoft Teams:
Microsoft Teams is a Microsoft platform that allows for communication and collaboration. Instructors can leave messages, start forums, and assign work on Teams. Students can use the chat feature to talk to one another and they can participate in video calls. Instructors can post class materials and use other learning applications that are built into the platform! It is an amazing resource for schools who use Office 365. Teams is even available as a smart phone application
This image is from Wix
How the Lesson Would Work with Teams:
At first, it was difficult to envision taking this community building lesson online. However, with Microsoft Teams this becomes possible. Teams would allow me to post all the materials necessary for students in a folder. I could post an instructional screencast video for students. This video would detail how to craft insults and how to find definitions of words. I would post this in the assignments section of Teams, so that students know they have a deadline. I would also be sure to post a forum space for students to ask questions and help one another. Then, I would host a “Team Meeting” for my class where they are participating in a synchronous video call. During this call, the lesson could continue as normal. Students would be paired up by me and would advance to further rounds if they had the best insult! Teams allows the instructor to assign this lesson for both asynchronous and synchronous learning. Even with the lesson online, it still meets all aspects of social presence. Students still interact with peers and their instructor. Students can still ask question and share strategies. And ultimately, the lesson still builds our community and comfort with each other!
Here is a screenshot of creating the assignment in Teams
Tool Analysis Table:
The four tools I analyzed for their adherence to the social presence model were Microsoft Teams, CommonLit, Spiral, and EdPuzzle. Both Microsoft Teams and Sprial are well rounded hubs for class work where teachers have a lot of flexibility over the content they create. Edpuzzle and CommonLit have a more specific purpose and lack the interaction between students necessary to foster social presence in online learning. To the left, you will find the attachment to a chart with my analysis of these resources.
Webinar Video:
Here is a video that further explains this lesson and how it ties to the social presence model!