Chapter 11: Engaging Teachers and Students in Learning and Self-Reflection

Photo Credit Chaim Zvi via Flickr

 

 

Focus Question 1: What is performance based assessment for teachers and students?

Students are evaluated on their performance based on many different factors including individual group projects, homework, and teacher observations of the student’s attitudes and behaviors. Performance evaluations of teachers are based on different factors, some of which are participation at teacher education courses, new teacher writing assignments as well as cooperating teacher observations of new teacher attitudes and behaviors.

 

Tech Tool 11.2: Online Survey Building Resources

Online surveys are a great tool for the classroom, they give students a voice they may not have, or give them an outlet to share their thoughts on what they may be uncomfortable sharing or too embarrassed to ask in front of the class. Zoomerang provides prompts and templates by broad themes including business and educational. Zoomerang actually keeps an archive of your past surveys for you to use at a later date. SurveyMonkey after going onto its site is now owned by Zoomerang and the same thing now. Poll Builder is based out of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. This site allows both students and teachers to create and use simple polls free of charge. This site doesn’t offer the different prompts and templates that the previous two do but it offers research tools in order to make the polls you make more sound.

 

Summary/Important Points:

There were a few items I didn’t know a lot about until I read through this new, the first being a digital portfolio is a collection of educational materials stored electronically. These portfolios contain what a traditional portfolio would, teaching materials, and etc. but in a digital format.

Democratic schools and classrooms are places where students and teachers are able to make decisions about important educational operations together from the academic curriculum to school climate and rules. I think this is an interesting take on wanting students to be involved in the learning process and having a voice. The definite con in this type of learning environment, which in mentioned in this chapter, is how students can make selfish, uninformed decisions that themselves at the time, including no homework and more social time.

Clicker devices really take learning and classroom interaction to a whole new level. Students use these devices to answer questions instantly. Depending on the model students can answer multiple choice, yes or no, true or false, ranking, numeric and short answer questions. Once everyone in the class has answered a question the responses are immediately posted for everyone to see. This a great way to keep students involved in a lesson and to know for sure that everyone is involved based on how many answers are being submitted.

 

 

Resources:

 

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2007). Problem Solving and Inquiry Learning with Software and Web Tools. Transforming Learning with New Technologies (pp. 174-205). Boston: Pearson

Chaim Zvi via Flickr

"About Poll Builder." ww.gmu.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://chnm.gmu.edu/research-and-tools/...>.

"Information." www.zoomerang.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://info.zoomerang.com>.

 

 

 

 

Journal Post #10

 

Chapter 10: Promoting Success for All Students through Technology

 

Photo Credit to Bart Everson via Flickr

 

Focus Question 3: How does assistive technology support efforts by teachers to reach all learners?

Assistive technology makes learning material more accessible to students by minimizing barriers such as learning disabilities, there are so many technologies available now to students that need a little extra help in order to communicate effectively. A perfect example are hearing aids, hearing aids can help a deaf student be able to hear teachers and themselves giving them the ability to speak and communicate effectively, this technology and other assistive technologies assists teachers in being able to reach all of their students, ones who do have obstacles that could hinder their learning ability and ones that do not.

 Tech Tool 10.1: Extra-Large and Online Calculators

The CC16 Extra-Large calculator by Kikkerland is designed for elementary school students. It does everything a regular sized calculator does; adding, subtracting multiplying, dividing, but its large size makes it easier for young students to use with its easy to read display and larger keys. For it being so large, 7” by 11”, it only weighs a few ounces. There is a website by Jim Martindale that is a calculator online center. There are links on the site to more than 22,000 calculation programs many with teaching modules and online simulations. While visiting the site I found that it is not the easiest to navigate. When you do find the correct website there are many subjects listed, I chose mathematics, then many sub-categories emerge, such as Computer Algorithms, Interval Analysis, Scientific Computing, etc, Computer Engineering/Sci. I then chose computer algorithms and was then brought to several options of computer algorithm calculators. This can be a useful tool for someone that knows exactly what they are looking for, since I did not I found it to be slightly confusing and the bright blue wallpaper made my head hurt.

 Summary/Important Points:

 

I did not know that classroom technology tools are classified by Low Tech, Mid Tech and High Tech. Low tech for a reading note taking assignment would be highlighters and post its. Mid Tech would be recorded books and interactive dictionaries. High tech tools for the assignment would be talking books that are made from the classroom books, interactive books, word by word highlighting software, as well as text to speech software. I was not aware some of these technologies existed, these tools would be a great help in the classroom to help students retain learned information.

There is a tool called an electronic speller that would be great for young readers, students can use the speller to find spellings for the words they speak aloud and check the accuracy if their own spelling without the help of an adult. I really like the idea of these since this can promote confidence and also teach the student to figure things out on their own.

 

Digital tools can greatly assist teachers with trying to teach students or with at home assistance with homework, these digital tools, when used correctly can enrich learning for students.

 

 

Resources:

Bart Everson via Flickr

Martindale, J. (n.d.). Martindale's Calculators On-Line Center. Martindale's Calculators On-Line Center. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://www.martindalecenter.com/Calculators.

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2007). Problem Solving and Inquiry Learning with Software and Web Tools. Transforming Learning with New Technologies (pp. 174-205). Boston: Pearson