Using Projects and Performances to Check for Understanding: "Projects and performances often demand a heavy investment of time and effort. Needless frustrations result when students have made that investment in good faith, only to discover that their end result misses the mark. More often than not, there were no systems in place to have work in progress assessed for revision.
We build incremental assessments into our project-based assignments to prevent these difficulties. For example, we assign a photo essay to our 9th grade writing class (Frey, 2003). This is quite an undertaking, and students' interest and enthusiasm run high. However, because we know the assignment is fraught with potential problems, we meet with each student several times over the course of the project. Students develop a storyboard, draft text, and assemble the final product. At each stage, we confer with them and complete a checklist (see Figure 5.1). In addition, we use a mutually constructed rubric at each stage so that they can gauge the level of completeness of their project (see Figure 5.2). These checklists and notes from our meetings are turned in with the final project. Of course, these tools can be modified for use with students with disabilities and for students who find school difficult.
Figure 5.1. Feedback for Draft Photo Essays
Feedback on Draft of Photo Essay
Student: _______________ Date: _________ Draft # _________
CATEGORY
RESPONSIBILITIES
Conventions
□ My paragraphs have more than one sentence.
□ Each of my paragraphs has one main idea.
□ I have used correct grammar.
□ I have used correct punctuation.
□ I have checked my spelling.
□ I have used capital letters correctly.
□ My handwriting is legible.
Organization
□ My introduction is interesting and inviting.
□ The sequence of ideas is logical.
□ My ideas flow from one to another.
□ I use helpful transitions between main points (e.g., “First of all” or “Similarly”).
□ I have a satisfying conclusion.
Flow
□ My sentences build logically upon the one(s) before.
□ My sentences are different lengths.
□ My sentences start in different ways.
□ There are no run-on sentences.
□ There are no incomplete sentences.
Punctuation
□ Commas separate items in a series.
□ A comma follows an introductory word or phrase.
□ A semicolon connects two sentences.
□ Closing quotation marks always follow commas or periods.
□ Apostrophes are used correctly to show possession or to create contractions.
□ A period, question mark, or exclamation point ends every sentence.
Word Choice
□ I use descriptive words (adjectives and adverbs) often.
□ I use strong, active verbs.
□ I use synonyms and different words to add variety.
□ My pronouns match the nouns to which they refer.
Next Steps:
From “A picture prompts a thousand words: Creating photo essays with struggling writers,” by N. Frey, 2003, California English, 8(5), 20.
Figure 5.2. Rubric for Photo Essay
Student Name: _____________________ Date:_____________
Title: _________________________
Category
4
3
2
1
Required Elements
Photo essay included all required elements as well as a few additional ones.
Photo essay included all required elements as well as one additional element.
Photo essay included all required elements.
One or more required elements were missing from the photo essay.
Spelling and Grammar
Few or no spelling or grammatical mistakes on a photo essay with lots of text.
Few or no spelling or grammatical mistakes on a photo essay with less text.
Several spelling or grammatical mistakes on a photo essay with lots of text.
Several spelling or grammatical mistakes on a photo essay with little text.
Use of Time
Used time well during each class period with no adult reminders.
Used time well during most class periods with no adult reminders.
Used time well but required adult reminders on one or more occasions.
Used time poorly in spite of several adult reminders.
Content
Photo essay uses both text and pictures to tell an imaginative story.
Photo essay uses mostly text, with some support from pictures, to tell an imaginative story.
Some pictures and text are not clearly related to one another.
Text and pictures have little connection with one another.
Required Elements:
□ 15–20 photographs used in photo essay.
□ Text is typed or written neatly.
□ Photo essay includes a cover with title, author, and illustration.
□ “About the Author” essay included.
From “A picture prompts a thousand words: Creating photo essays with struggling writers,” by N. Frey, 2003, California English, 8(5), 21.
Social Organizations That Promote Participation and a Sense of Agency
Many projects and performances involve group collaboration, and these instructional arrangements can be a source of frustration when not carefully designed and monitored. A common element in the findings about successful cooperative learning groups is that there should be both group and individual accountability (Cohen, 1994; Johnson & Johnson, 1998). Therefore, it is wise to provide students with a mechanism for evaluating their own performance in the group. We have included a sample self-assessment in Figure 5.3.
Figure 5.3. Self-Assessment of Group Work
Language arts workshop: Purposeful reading and writing instruction
Projects that are completed individually may benefit from inviting peer feedback, which can be valuable for all students. Anyone engaged in a creative endeavor knows how useful it can be to run an idea past a trusted colleague. Peer response in the classroom can offer the same advantages, but the skills required for offering and accepting need to be taught. In particular, we remind our students of the following principles:
* Students determine when they need peer feedback. We don't construct an artificial schedule of when students are required to get peer feedback, only that they do so at some point during the project.
* Not everything needs peer feedback. Too much feedback can result in an overload of information.
* Teachers, not students, should offer feedback on the details and mechanics of the piece. Peer response should not turn classmates into miniature teachers. Instead, peers can provide reactions as a fellow reader, writer, or audience member related to what they understood and what might be confusing (Frey & Fisher, 2006).
Problem-Based and Project-Based Learning
Both problem-based and project-based learning (PBL) can be integrated into performances. These approaches seek to replicate an authentic experience or application that occurs outside the classroom. Most experiences are designed to be collaborative, resulting in social as well as academic learning. Both problem-based and project-based learning are intended to integrate skills and content across disciplines, resulting in a holistic experience.
Although the approaches are similar, there are some differences between the two. Project-based learning is more common to elementary and secondary classrooms; problem-based learning is used less frequently (Esch, 1998). Problem-based learning is used widely in the medical field, where case studies serve as an important method for developing the skills of novices (Hmelo, 1998). Because problem-based learning is, by design, authentic to the situation, young students are more limited in their ability to successfully complete these complex assignments. Therefore, project-based learning, where a multidimensional task is defined and supported, is used more frequently in K–12 classrooms.
Projects can extend from a few days in length to weeks or even a semester, with even young children finding success. For example, project-based learning has been used in inclusive 5th and 6th grade classrooms to teach historical understanding (Ferretti, MacArthur, & Okolo, 2001). While the potential of project-based learning is appealing, Meyer, Turner, and Spencer (1997) offer cautions regarding the design of such learning experiences. Having noted that some students have less capacity for dealing with setbacks and other challenges, they state that “typical classroom goals such as accuracy, speed, and completion dates may conflict with the project-based math goals of justification, thoughtfulness, and revision” (p. 517). Keep in mind some of the design principles discussed earlier, especially access to frequent formative assessments to guide revisions. These, along with structures such as timelines and intermediate goals, can be especially helpful for students who are less persistent or who like their work to be perfect before the teacher sees it.
Performance Learning
A third type of learning opportunity used frequently in the classroom is performance, which can be presented through public or other visual means. Many performances focus on the application and synthesis of knowledge to create novel products. Like project-based learning, there is an end product in mind (e.g., a poster, a Web-based project, a musical). Not all performances are as elaborate as problem- and project-based learning (PBL) assignments. Some are simpler and do not need all of the formal supports associated with PBL. For example, the creation of a graphic organizer to visually represent the influence of Muslim scholars on scientific processes, mathematics, and literature is not likely to require a series of formative assessments along the way.
The importance of performance opportunities lies in their potential for providing other outlets for students to demonstrate their mastery of different concepts in ways that are not limited to more traditional school-based demonstrations such as reading, writing, and computational tasks. In many ways, performance tasks lie at the heart of differentiated instruction because they afford learners with diverse needs creative ways to show competence (Tomlinson, 1999).
In the next section, we will discuss techniques for using performances and projects to check for understanding. All of them use principles of design discussed earlier, especially scaffolds and group interactions. Although many are public performances, some are transactions between the teacher and learner only."
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Project-Based Learning Tops Traditional Instruction | Asia Society
Project-Based Learning Tops Traditional Instruction | Asia Society: "Project-Based Learning Tops Traditional Instruction"
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Project-Based Learning Ideas for the Classroom
PBL Idea 1
I really enjoyed blogging and I would like to see this occur at my school. I’m really not crazy about the school webpage, and I want something more interactive and personal for me, my students, and parents. I would like to create a project where teachers are given the opportunity to create their own blog and add things to it that would be beneficial to them and their students (i.e. spelling words, weather, newsletter, use websites to use at home and school, pictures on subjects studying, etc). What do you think?
PBL Idea 2
I would like to see digital stories using Movie Maker as a project based learning activity. I think educators could implement it in writer’s workshop as the publishing stage. This would motivate students to want to go to the publishing stage. Once stories have been published, teachers could invite parents in to do an “Author’s Tea”. I think this would be an excellent way to show student’s work and involve the parents. It gives the students something to be proud of. What do you think?
I really enjoyed blogging and I would like to see this occur at my school. I’m really not crazy about the school webpage, and I want something more interactive and personal for me, my students, and parents. I would like to create a project where teachers are given the opportunity to create their own blog and add things to it that would be beneficial to them and their students (i.e. spelling words, weather, newsletter, use websites to use at home and school, pictures on subjects studying, etc). What do you think?
PBL Idea 2
I would like to see digital stories using Movie Maker as a project based learning activity. I think educators could implement it in writer’s workshop as the publishing stage. This would motivate students to want to go to the publishing stage. Once stories have been published, teachers could invite parents in to do an “Author’s Tea”. I think this would be an excellent way to show student’s work and involve the parents. It gives the students something to be proud of. What do you think?
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Movie Maker Resources
To be used for the workshop - Storytelling: It's Digital!
If you need sound clips, you can access copyright free sounds at these websites:
www.freeplaymusic.com
www.sounddogs.com
You can access photographs at the following website:
http://www.westga.edu/gallery/ucm/main.php
If you need sound clips, you can access copyright free sounds at these websites:
www.freeplaymusic.com
www.sounddogs.com
You can access photographs at the following website:
http://www.westga.edu/gallery/ucm/main.php
Saturday, October 24, 2009
My Digital Story
My digital story explains and demonstrates the use of an I Am poem. It is a skeleton or format of a poem. The meat of the poem is to be filled in by the writer. The poem can be formatted to fit any subject. It can be used to describe a math concept (some modifications may have to be made) or to describe a character from a book. The instructor can add to the format or take certain aspects out of the outline; it depends on your students (age, grade, etc.) Use your imagination with the format and the possibilities are endless.
I included a UnitedStreaming video to my digital story so viewers can see an example of the I Am poem in action. The video shows exactly how students or educators can use an I Am poem to describe a character from one’s perspective. The video has the outline or format of the I Am poem included in it.
I used the I Am poem outline in my class to with our poetry unit. Students went through writer’s workshop to get to the published piece. They usually don’t like to do the published piece of writer’s workshop, because they say it is the fourth time of writing their story. This time it was different; they were excited to publish a story. They really wanted to see their final product (and hear their voices).
I included one of my student’s digital stories in with my digital story so viewers can see how I implemented into my classroom. The student’s digital story that I included is a seven year old girl who is explaining things that she sees, feels, or is going through on a daily basis. This poem is part of her life story; it is one chapter of her life. She loves her hamster and her bedroom at home. She constantly worried about her parents who are in the process of a divorce. She spends the majority of her time with her mom and sees her dad on Tuesdays and every other weekend. Viewers can tell these things by listening to her poem and see how very important these things are to this seven year old, little girl.
Check out my video:
I included a UnitedStreaming video to my digital story so viewers can see an example of the I Am poem in action. The video shows exactly how students or educators can use an I Am poem to describe a character from one’s perspective. The video has the outline or format of the I Am poem included in it.
I used the I Am poem outline in my class to with our poetry unit. Students went through writer’s workshop to get to the published piece. They usually don’t like to do the published piece of writer’s workshop, because they say it is the fourth time of writing their story. This time it was different; they were excited to publish a story. They really wanted to see their final product (and hear their voices).
I included one of my student’s digital stories in with my digital story so viewers can see how I implemented into my classroom. The student’s digital story that I included is a seven year old girl who is explaining things that she sees, feels, or is going through on a daily basis. This poem is part of her life story; it is one chapter of her life. She loves her hamster and her bedroom at home. She constantly worried about her parents who are in the process of a divorce. She spends the majority of her time with her mom and sees her dad on Tuesdays and every other weekend. Viewers can tell these things by listening to her poem and see how very important these things are to this seven year old, little girl.
Check out my video:
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Digital Storytelling Article
So, I thought that "digital literacies" were digital stories, but after reading this article I have come to a new understanding. Here is what I learned:
Digital Literacies Go to School: Potholes and Possibilities
This article helped readers gain an understanding or a clearer understand of what digital literacies are. My thoughts of digital literacies were people’s stories being put into a movie; a digital story or book. After reading this article, that is not the case and it changed my thoughts altogether.
According to O’Brien and Scharber, digital literacies are “things that digitally literate people produce (blogs, wikis, podcast)” or “activities that digitally literate people can engage in such as digital storytelling, social networking, and webpage creations” (p. 66).
Digital literacies are changing constantly because our technology is frequently changing. O’Brien and Scharber make several good points in this article; schools tend to promote old school literacies. When students leave school, they tend to “gravitate to and use new digital literacies” (p.67). I believe the use of old literacies with the bridging of new literacies will help the implementation process of technology in the classroom, without scaring any teacher away and keep the students involved.
Bibliography
O'Brien, D. & Scharber, C. (2008). Digital literacies go to school: Potholes and possibilities. International Reading Association , 66-68.
Digital Literacies Go to School: Potholes and Possibilities
This article helped readers gain an understanding or a clearer understand of what digital literacies are. My thoughts of digital literacies were people’s stories being put into a movie; a digital story or book. After reading this article, that is not the case and it changed my thoughts altogether.
According to O’Brien and Scharber, digital literacies are “things that digitally literate people produce (blogs, wikis, podcast)” or “activities that digitally literate people can engage in such as digital storytelling, social networking, and webpage creations” (p. 66).
Digital literacies are changing constantly because our technology is frequently changing. O’Brien and Scharber make several good points in this article; schools tend to promote old school literacies. When students leave school, they tend to “gravitate to and use new digital literacies” (p.67). I believe the use of old literacies with the bridging of new literacies will help the implementation process of technology in the classroom, without scaring any teacher away and keep the students involved.
Bibliography
O'Brien, D. & Scharber, C. (2008). Digital literacies go to school: Potholes and possibilities. International Reading Association , 66-68.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Technology Creativity and Production
Technology and Creativity
In this article, Technology and Creativity, it took a very interesting approach to looking and comparing technology with creativity. The writer was worried that design might get overlooked with the amount of technology coming out and the effects it will have on creativity. Here is the author’s perspective:
“We put more and more effort into technological development because this is what we know how to do. We then use the technology to carry out existing concepts. Very rarely do we use the opportunity offered by new technology to develop new concepts. Creativity in technology is rather easier than creativity in value concepts.”
I found myself pondering if creativity in technology is easier than creative concepts. The more I thought about the more I tend to think that they tend to go hand-in-hand and aid to one another.
The author also made another interesting, yet good point: “education has always been about information” and thus this “became a major occupation of educators. Youngsters needed to know all there was to know. Today that is no longer possible.” I agree with this but then again I never saw educators trying to teach everything there is out there. I thought we were teaching students life skills and fostering opportunities that might spark an interest in their futures. But I guess that could include everything too! Things to ponder;)!
Bibliography
De Bono, E. (2006, July 8). Thinking Managers. Retrieved October 20, 2009, from Edward de Bono and Robert Heller's Thinking Managers: http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/management/technology-creativity.php
In this article, Technology and Creativity, it took a very interesting approach to looking and comparing technology with creativity. The writer was worried that design might get overlooked with the amount of technology coming out and the effects it will have on creativity. Here is the author’s perspective:
“We put more and more effort into technological development because this is what we know how to do. We then use the technology to carry out existing concepts. Very rarely do we use the opportunity offered by new technology to develop new concepts. Creativity in technology is rather easier than creativity in value concepts.”
I found myself pondering if creativity in technology is easier than creative concepts. The more I thought about the more I tend to think that they tend to go hand-in-hand and aid to one another.
The author also made another interesting, yet good point: “education has always been about information” and thus this “became a major occupation of educators. Youngsters needed to know all there was to know. Today that is no longer possible.” I agree with this but then again I never saw educators trying to teach everything there is out there. I thought we were teaching students life skills and fostering opportunities that might spark an interest in their futures. But I guess that could include everything too! Things to ponder;)!
Bibliography
De Bono, E. (2006, July 8). Thinking Managers. Retrieved October 20, 2009, from Edward de Bono and Robert Heller's Thinking Managers: http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/management/technology-creativity.php
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Comic Life Workshop-Techy Teachers
Comic Life: Putting a Technological Twist on Teaching
Project Leader – Barry Thibault
Group Members - Erica Boswell, Leah Doughman, Jean Martin
Date Submitted: October 16, 2009
Introduction
Under the direction of Dr. Danilo Baylen at the University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, the MEDT 7464 collaborative group, Techy Teachers ,came together to learn a powerful software that could enhance any classroom. The Comic Life Software was new to everyone in the group; however, with practice, each member generated example instructional lessons for the development of An instructional workshop. This workshop would be available to help with the instruction of educators at the secondary level using Comic Life. All required items for the workshop are available on the Techy Teacher’s Comic Life website located at the following link:
Participants can download all materials before the day of the workshop. The two and a half hour workshop will include valuable resources for all to take home including tips on integrating technology into the classroom as well as other teaching ideas outlined below.
Overview
Workshop Title:
Comic Life: Putting a Technological Twist on Teaching
Goals:
In this professional learning workshop, participants will learn how to use and create a comic strip through the program Comic Life to aid middle school students.
Objectives:
In the workshop, Comic Life: Putting a Technological Twist on Teaching”, educators will be given the opportunity to develop their skills on implementing an effective Comic Life. The program will expose educators to projects that have been created through the use of Comic Life. The program will also give participants a hands-on opportunity to create their very own Comic Life comic strip which will be useable in their classrooms. By the end of the program, participants will feel comfortable enough to implement this program into their classroom and meet the individual needs of their students.
Rationale
The educational and multimedia software called Comic Life was designed to introduce fun, hands on instruction with creativity for today’s students using the latest in digital media technology. The program uses intuitive resources presently available in most classrooms – a computer, camera, scanner, and other digital media. Additionally, the software can be used to facilitate student projects in all types of classrooms and with some creativity; anyone can develop exciting imagery to bring to life textbooks and classroom lessons. This innovative approach to delivering instruction can enhance the performance of each student.
This Comic Life workshop is designed to aid instruction by introducing ideas and examples of software using technology that will engage their students in creative and artistic learning. The teachers joining the workshop will go away with sample projects they can use instantaneously in their classroom. Participants will become comfortable with the technology and learn how to fulfill the state and national standards using Comic Life in their lessons while fulfilling recent technology requirements.
Prerequisites:
Comic illustration expertise is not necessary! Participants need only to have a basic knowledge of computers and digital image formats with a desire to increase the creativity and performance of their students. During the workshop teachers will select and start to develop their own Comic Life example that they can then start using in their classroom. Those comfortable with digital imaging will work with those who are not. All participants will be learning and producing a Comic Life sample together based on the learning needs of the students in their classrooms. Participants may come prepared with images from their favorite textbook, story, scrapbook or photo gallery.
Resources:
For highest participant impact, each participant will be able to see a presentation board comfortably with Internet capabilities (ie. ActiveBoard, Smartboard, LDC computer projector, etc.) in a whole group session. Then, for small group work, one individual teacher laptop for every participant is recommended. Teachers will be paired, with one being very comfortable with the technology and the other being less comfortable. This will provide every participant an opportunity to have hands-on access to the technology while collaborating with a colleague. Each computer will need Internet access and the free trial of Comic Life downloaded. This program can be found at: http://plasq.com/downloads/
The four workshop providers will each work with a small group of teachers from different content areas - math, language arts, social studies, and connections and science - during the small group portion of the workshop. This hands-on, small group structure with a knowledgeable resource will accelerate learning of the technology and the creation of an initial project that will be usable in the classroom.
Processes:
The workshop will be conducted in four phases:
Phase One: Download and Install the Comic Life Software (if needed);
Phase Two: Find out what Comic Life Can Do;
Phase Three: Start Creating in Comic Life;
Phase Four: Save Your Creation and/or Share.
Participants will bring their own laptops pre-loaded with the Comic Life software and participate in a hand-on session in one of four content areas of their choosing: Social Studies, Mathematics, Language Arts, and Science/Connections. The schedule for the workshop is outlined below:
Comic Life Workshop Schedule
1:30 p.m. Large central presentation room setup is complete and available for participants to take a seat, boot up their laptops, and make sure Comic Life is installed and working on their equipment. Internet access for all laptops is required. If all laptops have already installed the software, the Internet is not a requirement.
2:00 p.m. Whole group session begins – Phase One – installing Comic Life, if participants if needed by the participants. This Phase may be eliminated and the sessions will start in the individual content area locations.
2:10 p.m. Participants move to one of four content area sessions: Social Studies, Mathematics, Language Arts, and Science/Connections.
2:15 p.m. Phase Two – The leader of each group will provide examples in the specific content area of Comic Life creations and the group will brainstorm on ideas they have for potential uses in their classrooms and share resources for images.
2:45 p.m. Phase Three – Each participant will open the software and start creating. They will be paired with other participants – one who is more comfortable with the software and one who is less comfortable. The participants will work in teams to discuss questions through the process, but each working on their own individual comic. The facilitator will move from pair to pair to answer any questions and to monitor progress.
3:45 p.m. Phase Four – The participants will select a minimum of two formats to save their comics. After work is saved, the participants will circulate to the work stations of others to view their projects.
3:55 p.m. Once all participants complete and save their projects, the workshop evaluations will be distributed in paper form if the Internet is not available, or the link to the on-line evaluation will be provided either at the front of the room or on a paper handout. The workshop facilitator will be available at the front of the room to answer any additional questions and ensure the evaluations are completed.
4:00 p.m. Participants will depart.
Feedback:
Participants will evaluate the quality of this workshop and its relevance to their instruction through an on-line workshop evaluation. This tool is available to preview at: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHlGUGFQM3kzSklOX0Q0SGp6WGttcHc6MA Before participants leave the workshop, each will complete the on-line evaluation. The results will be compiled through an automated process and be available to the workshop sponsor that same day.
Expertise:
Barry D. Thibault is the third project leader for the Comic Life Workshop. Mr. Thibault is presently pursuing his Masters degree in Instructional Technology at the University of West Georgia and plans to continue an additional Specialist degree in Instructional Technology. Mr. Thibault holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida and has been certified to teach in Florida and Georgia. Present certifications for Mr. Thibault include: Music K-12, Theater Arts K-12, Math middle grades, Language Arts middle grades and elementary education. Currently, he teaches theater classes at Douglass High School in an inner city school in Atlanta, Georgia where he hopes to implement additional instructional technology procedures for all the Fine Arts programs. As Mr. Thibault continues to work on his “Working Definition of Technology Instruction,” he is energized about the possibilities of using technology and instruction to make the arts exciting and creative for all students.
Summary
The Techy Teacher collaborative group believes that the workshop outlined in this document will be an effective professional development experience for all educators in the secondary levels. Comic Life provides a learning experience and an opportunity to collaborate with their grade-level team members while integrating new technology with differentiated instruction. It is their hope that after a positive experience with this imaging and graphic workshop; participants will be leave them with a class project they can use with any classroom discipline or curricular standard. In turn, their students will have the benefit of using Comic Life to its fullest potential, with a creative, effective, and artistic approach to learning.
Additional Resources
· Electronic Survey Form (Word document included in electronic folder)
Also available at: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHlGUGFQM3kzSklOX0Q0SGp6WGttcHc6MA
· Website on Techy Teachers
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
My "soap boxes" and technology that supports creativity and production
Soap Box Number One:
In reading chapter five of Egbert, it was discussing the guidelines for supporting student’s creativity. And I agree immensely with guideline one “create an enriched environment” (p. 136). Teachers that foster creative allow students to explore, provides many examples, allows movement (not staying seated), appeals to the five senses, and so on. But I found it ironic that the text also went on to state features that smoother creativity:
• Rewards
• Time Pressures
• Overmonitoring
• Competition
• Restricted Choices
• High-Stake Evaluations
(p. 136)
I’m not saying that I agree with every single one of these, but I am agreeing with the high-stakes evaluations. I just find it kind of funny when you watch the news or read some report, you hear about how we are not creating “creative kids” anymore. We’ll what do they expect when everything we do now days is related to some high-stakes test? Hello!?!
Egbert, J. (2009). Supporting learning with technology: Essentials of classroom practice. Columbus, OH: Pearson.
Soap Box Number Two:
In chapter seven, on page 123, Boss and Krauss talk about the importance of conflict management. I consider this is a critical component of any group project, and I do think teachers need to pay close attention to the group dynamics. I also agree that teachers need to “help students learn to manage their own team conflicts” (p. 123). Otherwise things could really escalate and the main goal of the project could be lost. Solving conflicts is a real-life skill that will “serve them well for years to come” (p. 123).
All of that is great, and I agree with it and group work. The part that I don’t agree with and see a problem arising with is the “slacker”. Group work puts peer pressure on the “slacker” (yes it does), but the book goes on to say “the slacker becomes a real pain for the whole group” (p. 123). This to me causes problems with implementation of a project because students are having to spend their time making sure the “slacker” is doing his or her own work. This puts additional stress on all the other group members. Even if the teacher states that everyone will get a group grade, some students still refuse to pull their own weight. This just means that other group member will have to pick up the slack to complete the project. I do not find this fair, and why should the other group members have to worry about that when they have their own part to worry about.
Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing project-based learning: Your field guide to real-world projects in the digital age. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
In reading chapter five of Egbert, it was discussing the guidelines for supporting student’s creativity. And I agree immensely with guideline one “create an enriched environment” (p. 136). Teachers that foster creative allow students to explore, provides many examples, allows movement (not staying seated), appeals to the five senses, and so on. But I found it ironic that the text also went on to state features that smoother creativity:
• Rewards
• Time Pressures
• Overmonitoring
• Competition
• Restricted Choices
• High-Stake Evaluations
(p. 136)
I’m not saying that I agree with every single one of these, but I am agreeing with the high-stakes evaluations. I just find it kind of funny when you watch the news or read some report, you hear about how we are not creating “creative kids” anymore. We’ll what do they expect when everything we do now days is related to some high-stakes test? Hello!?!
Egbert, J. (2009). Supporting learning with technology: Essentials of classroom practice. Columbus, OH: Pearson.
Soap Box Number Two:
In chapter seven, on page 123, Boss and Krauss talk about the importance of conflict management. I consider this is a critical component of any group project, and I do think teachers need to pay close attention to the group dynamics. I also agree that teachers need to “help students learn to manage their own team conflicts” (p. 123). Otherwise things could really escalate and the main goal of the project could be lost. Solving conflicts is a real-life skill that will “serve them well for years to come” (p. 123).
All of that is great, and I agree with it and group work. The part that I don’t agree with and see a problem arising with is the “slacker”. Group work puts peer pressure on the “slacker” (yes it does), but the book goes on to say “the slacker becomes a real pain for the whole group” (p. 123). This to me causes problems with implementation of a project because students are having to spend their time making sure the “slacker” is doing his or her own work. This puts additional stress on all the other group members. Even if the teacher states that everyone will get a group grade, some students still refuse to pull their own weight. This just means that other group member will have to pick up the slack to complete the project. I do not find this fair, and why should the other group members have to worry about that when they have their own part to worry about.
Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing project-based learning: Your field guide to real-world projects in the digital age. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Technology that Supports Critical Thinking
Check out this website which gives reasons on why technology supports critical thinking:
http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/index.html
One of the articles located on this site, How to Improve Critical Thinking Using Educational Technology, states that computers/programs offer quality practice for the students. It also provides some scaffolding and in some cases instant feedback. It also claims that through the use of technology that it appears to improve or help with enthusiasm.
There are also some other valuable articles as well as resources on this website. Be sure to check out the “Tools for Assessment” and “PowerPoint” side link under the heading “Technology”.
Bibliography
Teaching Effectiveness Program- Be Free to Teach. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2009, from University of Oregon: http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/index.html
http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/index.html
One of the articles located on this site, How to Improve Critical Thinking Using Educational Technology, states that computers/programs offer quality practice for the students. It also provides some scaffolding and in some cases instant feedback. It also claims that through the use of technology that it appears to improve or help with enthusiasm.
There are also some other valuable articles as well as resources on this website. Be sure to check out the “Tools for Assessment” and “PowerPoint” side link under the heading “Technology”.
Bibliography
Teaching Effectiveness Program- Be Free to Teach. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2009, from University of Oregon: http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/index.html
Monday, October 5, 2009
Open Blog
Good Website!!!!
http://www.digitales.us/resources/books.php#enews
Just had to share this! I found a really good website that went along with digital storytelling. It has some free downloadable PDFs and offers some things to order. Be sure to explore what the “StoryKeepers’ Gallery” has to offer. There are clips for every grade level. Under “Evaluating Projects” heading is a tool that allows educators to customize their scoring guide with the use of this website. In the “Resources” tool, there is a good resource called the Seven Steps to Create a DigiTales Story. It walks you through the steps of creating a digital story. Check it out!
Bibliography
Digitales: The art of digital storytelling. (2004). Retrieved October 1, 2009, from Digitales: http://www.digitales.us/index.php
http://www.digitales.us/resources/books.php#enews
Just had to share this! I found a really good website that went along with digital storytelling. It has some free downloadable PDFs and offers some things to order. Be sure to explore what the “StoryKeepers’ Gallery” has to offer. There are clips for every grade level. Under “Evaluating Projects” heading is a tool that allows educators to customize their scoring guide with the use of this website. In the “Resources” tool, there is a good resource called the Seven Steps to Create a DigiTales Story. It walks you through the steps of creating a digital story. Check it out!
Bibliography
Digitales: The art of digital storytelling. (2004). Retrieved October 1, 2009, from Digitales: http://www.digitales.us/index.php
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