The new kind of assessments

          

Education is a function of society, but like any function there are transformations that can occur.  Reflecting back on the history of education from a one size fits all single classroom and only one correct way to solve a problem, we now understand education is fluid and requires adaptation. Take assessments for instance, or more specifically, objective assessments where there was only one correct answer.  Students often provided that singular answer in a rote manner. 



An answer was an answer and there was no defending the answer. If the student was able to produce this single artifact, then they were considered successful.  Here is a video often shared at the beginning of the school year:

What are our children learning by answering a multiple choice test?  Teachers laugh at this video on how ridiculous this is and yet this is still common place for many classrooms.  Students should be place in single rows, take notes, and pass a test; next unit, same thing.  When are students going to learn to be independent thinkers and problem solvers?

So, remember those transformations from earlier?  Well, transformations can start with a few people, a few ideas, and a few tools.  The people are teachers willing to step outside and away from a book driven curriculum.  The ideas are based on interaction and collaboration where students learn to work in teams and have multiple approaches to problem solving.  The tools are technology, which brings concepts to life with information, interactive simulations, and countless ways to communicate and create artifacts to show success. 

ways to communicate and create artifacts to show success.

Education is exciting.  Education is innovative.  Today, with the help of technology students are interacting with content and producing multiple check points for assessment.  Software helps teachers’ identity struggling students and cross references this to interventions.  Of course, the teacher is still the manager, but now there are better tools to help students learn.

Education is exciting.  Education is innovative.  Today, with the help of technology students are interacting with content and producing multiple check points for assessment.  Software helps teacher’s identify struggling students and cross references this with interventions. Differentiating instruction is available with the click of mouse. Of course, the teacher is still the manager, but now there are better tools to help students learn. Classrooms are now noisy; teaching is messy; learning is invigorating!

I consider assessments as an ongoing intricate art of daily teaching.  Teachers are constantly assessing.  When students don’t know they are being assessed, are some of the best moments…just listening to their how and why…their logic…their intuition. Technology has allowed teachers access to alternative lenses in which to view their student’s attitudes, beliefs, and performances on unlimited topics.  Students have a personalized platform to produce creative thought provoking materials not previously available because of technology and teachers who want more for their students. 

Thanks Technology!

Infuse learning by infusing technology

Infuse learning by infusing technology

Technology is an ever advancing tool that helps teachers expand their instructional platform to reach every student regardless of learning style. From checking homework to a warm up or quick check to review skills or activate prior knowledge, technology offers a way to interact with 21^st century learners.   These small snippets of technology are only an initial approach to how technology can transform learning.  During lessons students now have the opportunity to go on virtual field trips or perform experiments without toxic fumes or the cost of supplies.  One way for example to help students understand functions is to take them to Cedar Point where roller coasters dominate the landscape and prove there are more to functions that linear relationships as seen via Rollercoasters: A nonlinear approach to functions.There are surveys teachers can implement and receive real timer results through apps like Poll Everywhere and Quizlet. A technology-infused classroom uses technology like a math classroom uses pencils.  Technology is a necessary tool needed to complete an assignment and build deeper connections to content. 

So how does one reach the point of having a technology-infused classroom?  For me, it means taking the time to fully investigate technology applications and sites not only as a teacher, but through the eyes of my students.  The ASSURE model of planning presented this week considers analyzing learners, stating objectives, select proper methods, media and materials, as well as, how to utilize them properly to engage active participation with a reflective component for the teacher to revise as needed (Smaldino, Lowther, Mims, & Russell, 2015).  Asking questions and answering them from both perspectives, provides a lens to understand how technology correlates to state standards and NETS standards, as well as, increases students engagement and understanding. I am very interested in not only expanding learning, but making deeper connections.  If students can see a reason to learn and how math affects them directly, then these can be used as intrinsic motivators.  An additional perk to making better connections, is recall.  By infusing technology into lesson plans, students are able to explore ideas and relationships by interacting with them. Exploring possible relationships beyond what is presented in the classroom or even connecting with others around the world for a global perspective.  On such program for communicating globally is through Pen Pal Schools.  Here is a video

PenPal Schools: Brendan & Moneer from PenPal Schools on Vimeo.

Since technology advancements happen daily, teachers should be vigilant in taking the necessary steps to provide the best learning opportunities for their students.  Today, that means technology should be used in parallel to all instruction.

Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D., Mims, C., & Russell, J. (2015). Instructional technology and media for learning (11th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Visual literacy and the internet promote learning

How can visual literacy and the use of the Internet impact the teaching and learning process in the classroom? What are some visual-thinking strategies you would like to use in your classroom? What role do you want the Internet play in your classroom?

Visual literacy….adding images…adding color…adding understanding.

Through the exploration of images and their impact on learning, it brought to the fore front of my teaching students need more visual connections to the content I teach.  One picture is worth a thousand words (Barnard, 1921) was brought about perhaps through an old Chinese proverb.  In the end, it means that something hard to describe may be best represented through a picture.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words.html

 With the use of the internet teachers are able to pull a variety of resources, filter through them, and create more content rich lessons than ever before. These past two weeks in particular emphasized moving from a traditional lecture formatted classroom environment to that of a collaborative nature. 

Collaboration by itself, however, is not the master key that unlocks knowledge, but the skillful planning of the teach using the correct technology tool at the right time.  For instance, I researched WebQuests lessons for the secondary mathematics classroom relating to quadratics. This link will take you there:  http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=66698.

I was drawn to it by the initial picture because I found out people can take rides at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO when my daughter moved back to Michigan to go to school.  There is an informative video about the arch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX2KpYDhnP0 

By making connections to content students become more engaged to learn and recall important facts.  As I develop my next unit on quadratics I want to employ similar learning experiences for my students from my experiences here.  In our readings this week reference was also made to word clouds.  Word clouds would be a perfect supplement to graphic collages on the topic of quadratics. One would provide visual images gathered by students and the other would be a verbal model of the same information.  

Math can come across as a foreign language to some students because there are so many new terms they have limited prior knowledge of.  Using the internet to help them decode information and reach independent conclusions about would be valuable. 

Student engagement is achieved through student centered activities.  With technology slowly becoming more available at my school, I look forward to guiding my students on how to use the internet as a tool to succeed now and n their future! 

Watching a computer generate a parabola will also help visual learners such as the GeoGebra has available online: http://tube.geogebra.org/m/189498

 Interactive parabola

Last year as a cumulative project, I had my classes build mini-catapults, take measurements and derive a quadratic equation.  I am now considering how to ue technology with the project. 

From the Front of the Classroom

From the Front of the Classroom

As I began my journey into teaching, I quickly discovered it wasn’t just about standing in front of the classroom and giving directions, which every student would willingly comply with.  Instead, teaching is multi-facetted employing a variety of theories and strategies to help each and every student learn.  In college I contemplated these theories from Ivan Pavlov’s behaviorist theory to Jean Piaget’s cognitive stages of development to name a few. In the end, entering the hall of education with a newly bestowed teaching certificate I found additional hurdles to overcome.  Although I am now considered an experienced teacher, education has been evolving where students are becoming more active participants through models of student-centered instruction verses teacher-centered instruction.  

Our conversation this week have been very reflective; challenging what we consider to be the better methodology of dealing with 21^st century learners and how that correlates to the implementation of learning theories. One person in the cohort, Mark, posted about using lecture because that is all he knew.  When do teachers decided to go down a different path?  Is there one moment, a buildup of moments, or just the desire to make a change?   Myself, I was taught in parochial schools; lecture mode was all I knew.  Yet, when I entered the classroom for student teaching I was on the other end of the spectrum.  How did I get there?  In the background I can still hear my sponsoring teacher saying there was no time for hands-on activities or projects if the standards were all going to be covered.  But cover the standards I did and my student scores rapidly increased.  Moreover, student engagement increased and my classroom filled with chatter.  Students were excited to come to class.  Yes, even for math.

Mount Everest

Instead of using one theorist to drive my teaching, I adapted my teaching to the needs of my students.  It did help me, however, that I began as an instructional aide for special needs students. They taught me the norm could be redefined.  As I stand in front of my classroom I see students who need to see the lesson, hear the lesson, and become the lesson.  Adapting lessons in today’s classroom is enhanced through technology applications. For instance, learning about transformation of functions, college algebra took a virtual field trip to the Himalayans where they saw a first-hand account of trekkers going up Mount Everest. They discussed delays due to weather conditions and the backtracking needed to acclimate to the ever increasing altitude changes.  We graphed time and altitude changes in our graphing calculators and even changed the scale to show compressions along with vertical and horizontal shifts.  Technology enhanced their experienced by providing a concrete real-world example on function transformations.

Being proactive in bringing technology to the classroom is important to me because of my students.  I must engage them.  I want them to enjoy learning and see how content fits into the world around them.  I cannot accomplish this on my own.  I need technology.  They need technology. Using modern tools such as cell phones, laptops, and document cameras can easily be combined with all learning theories to move forward from a traditional classroom where students sat in single rows facing the board to copy notes to engaging in debates through collaborative investigation where the world is just a mouse click away. 

Video: Climbing Mount Everest   NBC News Dateline: Audio & Video Mount Everest

Here it is the first week of class and we are off and learning about Technology Pedagogy Content Knowledge (TPCK) and how to integrate technology into the classroom to enhance lessons.