EDUC 5313: Week 1

Introduction

Hello, all. My name is Haylee Cannon, and I currently teach 8th grade ELAR in Anna, Texas. I find the middle school kiddos are entertaining, chaotic, and full of fun. I find they bring a unique sense of joy and laughter to most situations. In my current role, my main priority is to teach students to think both critically and empathically. If they can do both of those things by the time they leave my room, I feel my job has been accomplished. In addition to teaching, I am fortunate to have other leadership opportunities within my campus and district that align with my future goals. I serve as Department Chair of the English team and am a member of the District Technology Integration Leadership Team. Both roles allow me to work with and lead adults as well as teach students. These opportunities have given me practical experience with leadership, collaboration, and professional development. These skills will help with my future career goals as I’m hoping to obtain a leadership role in the Educational Technology sector. I’m grateful for all the experience and lessons I’m learning throughout my career, and I’m looking forward to what’s to come.  

Research Project Overview 

To allow students to practice critical thinking, research skills, and digital literacy, I have a research project that students complete after state testing. Students choose from a list of unsolved mysteries and complete a research project that includes background information, evidence, theories, and other important information. Essentially, they are asked to become an expert on their mystery. Students are tasked with completing credible research and creating a presentation to present to their classmates. This project is always a student favorite as it is highly engaging and allows them to be creative. As the teacher, I love this project as well because it allows them to practice with technology, research, and communication skills. This project aligns with ISTE standard 1.3 Knowledge Constructor, specifically 1.3.c which asks students to, “curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions” (ISTE, 2025). These skills are highly beneficial to students as they are growing up in the digital world. This ISTE standard also pairs well with T-TESS Dimension 1.4: Activities which expects teachers to, “plan engaging, flexible lessons that encourage higher-order thinking, persistence, and achievement” (T-TESS, 2025). Both standards are important in helping both teachers and students prioritize effective activities that promote critical thinking and digital literacy.  

Connection to Triple E Framework

This lesson idea connects well with Lisa Kolb’s Triple E Framework. The pillars of her framework, engage, enhance, and extend, are key attributes for any student activity that concerns technology (Kolb, 2011). The engaging factor of technology is a great way to increase student buy in concerning the actual content. Technology can also enhance learning by allowing students to develop a greater interest in the content through their own discovery and research. In addition, technology can extend learning by giving students the opportunity to connect learning with things in the real world. The Unsolved Mysteries Research Project engages students by giving them the opportunity to use technology to deepen understanding, enhances learning by allowing students to personalize their research and project, and extends learning by using relevant examples from the real world. Overall, Triple E is a beneficial framework that connects well to other evaluation standards in a way that benefits students and challenges educators to provide a quality educational experience.  

References 

TEA. (2025). T-TESS RUBRIC. https://teachfortexas.org/resource_files/guides/t-tess_rubric.pdf 


Triple E Framework. (n.d.). Triple E Framework. https://www.tripleeframework.com/ 


1. Students. (2025, June 13). ISTE. https://iste.org/standards/students#1-3-knowledge-constructor




 

Comments

  1. Mrs. RichJuly 6, 2025 at 11:27 AM

    I really enjoyed reading your blog. My school is very small and does not utilitze educational technology very much. Your blog helped me understand how to appropriately implement technology into classroom lessons. The research project you use with your students really engages them which can be very difficult after completing state testing. This is an excellent activity to implement ISTE standard 1.3 and an excelllent example of meeting the Triple E Framework. Your post really illustrates the benefits and apporpriate use of technology in classroom lessons.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DaisyJuly 6, 2025 at 8:23 PM

    "...my main priority is to teach students to think both critically and empathically. If they can do both of those things by the time they leave my room, I feel my job has been accomplished"

    Haylee, you reminded me of my mother. She was a teacher for 30 years, and her passion for teaching resounded with yours. Unfortunately, she didn't as much opportunities and support as a teacher like you....

    "Essentially, they are asked to become an expert on their mystery." > Yes! This project is perfect for growing minds! I was at this same grade level when curiosity started developing and growing.

    ReplyDelete

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