Blog Post 4: Reflect on the idea that tests are the only objective assessments of student learning.

 Blog Post 4:  Reflect on the idea that tests

 are the only objective assessments of student learning.

The suggestion that test are the only objective assessments, laughable, if one considers that most human endeavors are at their hart subjective.  Any assessment that is created will have a person or persons’ imprint on it.  Consider new state or district assessments, They are created by groups of people who are influenced by the world around them. One could argue that they are reactionary in nature.  If one is a resolute pessimist, it might be suggested that they are governed by the political winds of change.  But all kidding or seriousness aside, assessments are made in order to find out how ones instruction is working.  The questions are subjective based on what the instructor thinks they need to check on.  When tests are made, they carry with them the choices made by a person.  At the university level tests can reflect the type of student the institution wants to accept.  State test design are influenced by what leaders in industry and government deem as important at the time.  According to Dr. Olenka Bilash, University of Alberta, one way to overcome the subjective view of assessment is what she calls triangulation. Triangulation looks at three different sources to which ensures, more accuracy of assessment data.  Three sources could include conversations, products, and observations. Conversation can come in the form of exit tickets or I can do statements.  Observations take place during class time and should be done by observing small numbers of students daily, not all during a single class.  Products refer to concrete items created by students. This can include projects, tests, and tasks.  Between all three a teacher can better discern a student’s progress.  All three areas are assessed and teachers can tell whether a student knows the information and is strong in all three areas or just one or two with the goal bringing the students levels up in all three areas.

Reference:

Bilash, O. (2014), Best of Bilash, Triangulation in Assessment, retrieved from: http://www.educ.ualberta.ca/

Blog 3: The Technology-Infused Classroom

In the future, technology infused classroom will have either desktops, laptops, tablets or Ipads.  Potentially even keyboards embedded in in the desk with screens that come out of desks.  Each room would have interactive whiteboards.  All information exchanged via text, audio, or video would be cloud based and accessible through the internet.  Instructors would act as guides through the educational process and provide individual tutoring as seen in some blended classrooms. Students would interact in the classroom through Forums, Blogs, Wikis, and live in teacher led Socratic style discussions.  Students would work in groups on joint projects and exchange and complete assignments through internet sources.  Instructors would arranged learning experiences that would include virtual filed trips and cross-world classroom exchanges from other countries.  Students would work together doing peer editing via applications like google docs. 

Currently my class is very similar to the vision above.  Most information exchange is done on the computers excluding teacher/student class discussions.  Annotation is done on computer using comment tools in MS Word. I plan to incorporate video of student speeches and have these become part of student portfolios.  Joint research projects will be put together using Wikispaces and students will keep blogs to record reflections of their educational progress. Augmented reality will help introduce new terminology.  I use the classroom smartboard to takes notes during discussions and lectures and post these notes to Schoology/Edmodo for students to access along with screencasts of application “how to’s”. Doing this much with technology helps students learn technology while completing assignments which helps them be better prepared for high education. One final activity I would like to put into place is group problem solving assignments done with teachers and students from other countries. I believe it would be a dynamic lesson for students to participation.

Blog 2 prompt: Visual Literacy and Internet strategies

Visual literacy and the Internet if used can impact the classroom by bringing lessons to life through multimedia use and collaborative exercises.  In order for students to become visually literate, they must be able to analyze and interpret the media and be adept at producing visual media also.  The impact on teaching comes in the form of the paradigm shift from highly text based learning to a more visual multimedia learning approach which mimics how students interact with information in the twenty-first century.  Teachers must know all varieties of visual media and when it is appropriate to use them. 

Internet usage also has an impact on teaching.  The Internet can be used dynamically during class to fill in gaps of research information through the use of Smartboard technology. This can teach students research skills that include searching out bias,verifying authenticity, identifying and citing rhetorical devices.  The Internet can lend an immediate feel to the educational process.  In a lab setting tools like Faronic's Insight can allow instructors to show one students screen to all students. Collaborative applications like Edmodo, Wikispaces, Schoology, Blogger.com, and Google class can be used through the Internet in for assignments that demand students work in groups.  The Internet can allow for virtual field trips including the incorporation of google glass.  The use of the Internet is not without pitfalls. For example, without control, students can navigate to inappropriate sites. Even with District supported filtering valuable time can be wasted.  Instructors can mitigate this through the use of Programs like Faronic's Insight which allows for control over sites that students can visit.  I use the program and have approved site lists that help me stop the problem before it happens. The Internet can also be used for assessment purposes. Edmodo, Schoology can be used by  teachers to delivers every type of assessment possible.  Essay assessment programs like MyAccess and Holt Online offer auto grading of essays.  Overall, use of the Internet via laptops, desktops, or mobile devices can really modernize classroom operations as long as it is embraced by tech savvy teachers.

Blog 1: 21st Century Instructional Strategies

Instructional strategies are changing for the better and it is a good thing.  The old education strategy of memorize by wrote is giving way to strategies that include all styles of learners.  The importance of this cannot be overstated.  According to authors’s of Instructional Technology and Media for Learning, Sharon E. Smaldino, Deborah L. Lowther, and James D. Russell, Teachers must be prepared to teach student who come to them learning through hand on means and desires to learn in their own way.  They go on to suggest that because information grows exponentially students must be taught how to retrieve information not memorize by wrote in order to recall later. An example of these new realities are those help student evaluate information for accuracy and bios.  Essentially student must be able to find information weigh its sources and understand motivations.  Students are now entering school with technology background that surpasses their instructors.  Lessons must change to fit these student’s needs.  Frequently they know how to use the technology but do not know how to maximize its use to their advantage. The implementation of strategies must consider this. Instead of disregarding technology as a fad, it must be put to use.  With many students familiar with social networking sites, instructors would be wise to adapt this technology to their own use.  I have already started using programs and techniques that have at their core communication.  I have incorporated the delivery of lessons via Edmodo, and use applications like Wikispaces, Blogger, and schoology. I also plan on requiring students to use online portfolio’s.  These applications offer students twenty first century mechanisms that allow for collaboration, team building, and project based learning that will be more and more important to our students during higher education and beyond.

Reference:

Smaldino S., Lowther D., and  Russell, J.(2012), Instructional Technology and Media for Learning, Allyn & Bacon by Pearson Education, Inc.  

Module 2 SQ2

The difference between teacher and student centered strategies is that with teacher centered activities teachers direct the learning while in with student centered strategies the teachers serve as facilitators who offer guidance (Smaldino S., Lowther D., Russell J.).

Examples of teacher centered strategies are (1) Students complete drills on previously reviewed topics. For example, students complete Grammar101.com drills on parallelism identification after review the same with the instructor.  (2) After teaching the use of MS Word Review Comment tool to for annotation purposes and leading students through the annotation of an informational text. Students are asked to read a short information text and annotate it using the SOAPSTone method.

Examples of student centered strategies are: (1) Teacher gives students separate research assignments to students which when combined in a Wikispace will cover an entire topic.  Students check in with instructor daily to show their progress.  Instructor monitors student’s research website visits using Faronic’s Insight. Grading is based on each individual’s contribution to the project.  (2) Students collect poll data on several question posed by instructor on a current event. Student compile data using MS Exel  and create charts from data.. Students write reports using gathered data to come to conclusion regarding that data.   

References:

Smaldino S., Lowther D., Russell J.,(2012) Instructional Technology and Media for Learning 10th ed, Allyn &    

           Bacon. Copyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Module 2 SQ1

Even though they are traditional ways of disseminating information, direct instruction or lecturing have not been engaging, many of us can attest they are – should I say the word - boring.  Studies have shown that in order to increase student engagement, one must more than anchor them to a seat.  In Jane McGeehan’s 2013 article Brain-compatible learning she offers the following conclusion,  “You can begin by acting on three of the key findings so far: the role of emotions in focusing attention, the importance of providing many first-hand experiences, and building in personal meaning from the student’s point of view” (McGeehan J).  These findings also are linked to increased test scores and comprehension.   My own experience shows much the same.  I remember taking a Native American History class that I had been looking forward to for a long time. When I attended, I found it to be by far the most uninspired I have ever taken.  Each class was a lecture with chalkboard with drawings, figures and this was in 2001. I compare this to an archeology class where the instructor used PowerPoint Presentations with embedded video and assignments that had students analyzing data gathered at actual dig sites then comparing our analysis with other students and the instructor during class.  I was far more engaged than the straight lecture class and I remember the classes and still have the analysis notebook today.  There is no doubt which class I found better and my grades showed the difference.  In this case, the technology used in the Native American class was at best 20th century compared to the Archeology class that used updated technology using various media, and hands on analysis of dig site data explanations from the instructor of each analysis to help us better understand our data.  Even though it was a little nerve racking explaining our interpretations to the class; the professor never belittled us and explained fully where we may been led astray.  I have taken these experiences to heart and try to incorporate technology in ways that have hands on experience as part of all lessons.  Instead of lecturing students, I have students do their own research and record their finding using technologies like WIkispace, Powerpoint, or Blogs.  I have found that they are far more engaged in the process and have seen increases in assessment scores and more confidence in their use of technology even when they are technological newcomers. 

Reference: 
McGeehan, J. (2013), Green Teacher, Brain-compatible learning, , Retrieved      
             from http://greenteacher.com/ on 8/30/2014

Module 1DQ

Module 1 DQ 1
Though the article by Niess, Preparing Teachers to Teach Mathematics With Technology Preparing Teachers to Teach Mathematics With Technology, is directed toward teaching math using technology, it can also be used as a guide for other subject matter.  Teaching subjects and the use of technology when doing so is very important since technology is so prevalent in our society today.  What exactly should an education system teach with regard to technology use in the classroom?  How does one balance the technological knowledge base of students and keep pace with what a governing body demands to be taught in any given curriculum?  If one chooses to incorporate technology use into a lesson and in doing so extends the lesson length but teaches a valuable technology skill, is it justified?   These questions haunt me as I prepare lessons for my English classes.  I teach in a technological rich environment, thirty seats, and thirty computers with up to that number of students.  In an effort to assuage my own fears I have asked college students what technology skills they wish that had learned before entering.  Some say a more in depth knowledge of office productivity, communications, and problem solving software.  I have endeavored to include these into my mandated curriculum coverage in the following ways.  I use word processing software on a regular basis. This includes essay, short story, and journal writing.  A resent project is the SOAPSTONE annotation of an informational text using MS Word’s Insert comment function.  This aligns with the Augmentation SAMR model in which students use an electronic document to do all work and then submit electronically through EDMODO.  I have just received approval to use Weebly for student portfolios and plan on having students Submit key examples of their work to their own portfolio and have peer reviews be done as part of the assignment.  I plan on having peer students use sentence frames to help them properly comment on student assignments.
Another assignment I started incorporating last year was the use of Wikispaces as a group project venue.  The assignment could be done using MS PowerPoint but the Wiki is more dynamic allowing student groups to put together what amounts to an informational technology product.   Students are asked to research subtopic within a group setting with the goal of combining their research into a Wikiproject with multiple pages.  This assignment will also incorporate a peer comment component.  Both of these assignments are examples of how a teacher’s knowledge of curriculum and curriculum materials are integrating technology with learning.  The process is longer but more engaging to students
Thanks for reading,

                                      Frederick A. Daenitz