Digital Portfolios-A New Type of Assessment

     An electronic portfolio is an alternate to standardized testing.  Teachers sometimes turn away from the standardized testing because it does not reflect actual teaching practices in their classroom or some other abilities students may possess.   Standardized testing never provides students with feedback on their work.  They never have a chance to reflect on their completed assignments.  E-portfolios give students a place to store work and teachers a place to check it.  Students are not required to "turn in" papers and teachers are not required to "collect" them and take home the major piles of completed work.  Students store completed work in a electronic portfolio and teachers can check the work from anywhere, comment on it, and return it to the student, without never handling a piece of paper.  One advantage to e-portfolios is teachers can provide detailed feedback to the students.  The North Carolina End-of-Grade tests do not provide this immediate instructional feedback to students.  Students get raw scores but never get the opportunity to actually see the questions/objectives missed.  The students miss out on the important step of learning---reflection.  This technology allows students to learn from the feedback of the teachers and promotes reflection and resubmission.  Some teachers are not comfortable with this approach because they feel it is a bit more time-consuming than sending bubble sheets through a scanning device.  Also, the only requirement is a computer with internet access, not a red pen and a massive stack of papers or a stack of bubble sheets and a scanning device.  

     E-portfolios could be utilized in almost any class.  English teachers could have students submit book reports or a persuasive commercial using certain types of advertising propaganda.  Social studies teachers could have students submit travel brochures for places they have studied.  Science teachers could have students to submit lab reports or podcasts of findings of a lab experiment.  The possibilities are endless with this type of technology.  The major issue with e-portfolios in our district would be getting teachers to get on board with this new type of technology.  

Ahr states that a digital portfolio system "utilizes the strength of an entire learning community , connecting its understanding, creating dialogue and reflection; thus building a rigorous understanding of specific learning standards."  This statement sums it up for me.  This approach provides aspects that the standardized testing does not.  Throughout the planning and creation of the actual electronic portfolio system, the Rhode Island public school, WACTC, and eduPorfolio.org realized that the process is a "continual reflecting process" and must be part of the "school culture".  Successful digital portfolio systems require the continual cycle of planning, implementing, giving feedback, reflecting, and improving. 

Wacky for Webquests

      Bernie Dodge created a magnificent interactive tool when he devised the Webquest.  This type of technology is utilized in many classrooms in promoting a hands-on approach in teaching and exploring topics.  Dodge stresses in his article, “Five Rules for Writing a Great WebQuest” that the five guiding principles can be represented by the word FOCUS. 

F = Find great sites.

O = Orchestrate your learners and resources. 

C = Challenge your learners to think.

U = Use the medium.

S = Scaffold high expectations. 

Teachers need to be sure when designing a WebQuest that they find good information on existing websites, organize the students and the informational websites, create challenging activities, use the medium, and scaffold high expectations for your students.  This type of activity promotes higher order thinking skills and helps meet the needs of 21^st century learners. 

          Possible webquests could be created in any classes from Music to Language Arts  to Physical Education.  In English Language Arts, webquests could be created on parts of speech.  In Social Studies, the Holocaust may be a great topic for a webquest.   In Physical Education, students could be presented with a webquest on football fundamentals.  They variety of topics is so immense.      

In a webquest, students are presented with a task in which they must complete activities using websites and construct a product representing their learning and exploration.  Some teachers may be hesitant about utilizing webquests in the classroom because of the loss of control of the instruction.  Teachers become facilitators of instruction instead of deliverers of instruction.  Webquests promote student responsibility for learning. 

 

 

Digital Storytelling Brings Stories and Students ALIVE

After reviewing Banaszewski’s article, I feel that digital storytelling would be an asset to any classroom.  The inclusion of iMovie helped the students feel as if they were directors/producers of their own stories.  Banaszewski’s stated, “I got students to share in a way that quickly instilled a positive classroom environment and empowered students’ voices” (pg. 2).  Digital storytelling would be of great assistance in writing in all classes.  Pre-writing or planning could also be completed via another software program as Inspiration or Thinking Maps.  Some hesitant teachers need to realize that presenting information or telling stories can be created and delivered in more ways than the traditional pencil/paper approach.

            Before utilizing this type of technology, teachers need to be sure that students can use the digital storytelling software and can also scan and upload images, perform pod casts, and locate music of public domain.  Digital storytelling could be used in English to tell a special memory or in lieu of a book report.  In Social Studies, students could create projects telling of a slave’s life or describing a battle in the American Revolution.  In Science, students could create presentations that tell about scientists’ contributions even from the scientist’ point-of-view.  In Math, students could create a story on how to use the quadratic formula correctly or create a multiplication rap.  The possible classroom uses are endless.  If teachers would incorporate such meaningful activities in class, these 21^st century learners would benefit greatly.  

What a Concept!!!!

According to Royer and Royer, concept mapping has proven to be very successful in engaging students in meaningful learning.  Technology has taken concept mapping to a new level.  In this study, desktop computers were loaded with Inspiration software and Palm handheld computers were loaded with PiCoMap software.  These programs help students design concept maps which help students in organizing information.  The ninth grade biology students involved in this study reacted positively to designing concept maps on the handheld computers.  The majority of students shared that the handheld computers were faster and easier to get organized, and it was much more enjoyable to them.  Teachers mentioned positive aspects of the PiCoMap and Inspiration in students’ motivation to complete work.  Teachers also felt as if students were more willing to revise incorrect work.    The only downfall was a more complex designed map could not be fully displayed on the handheld computer.  With more complex map, the desktop computer loaded with Inspiration software was more applicable because the full map can be displayed on one screen.

            This technology is costly. therefore many school districts are unable to afford it in such poor economic times.  Fortunately, our school has purchased Thinking Maps software.  With this software, students can design eight different maps on the computer.  These maps are used to teach students how to organize information, just as the concept maps are intended to do.  The students are taught the eight maps over an eight week period, and students are also taught the appropriate map to use with different types of information.  For example in Social Studies, students may use a multi-flow map when discussing causes and effects of the Civil War.  In Science, students may use a brace map when learning about the parts of a cell.  Hopefully, next year, we can purchase enough computers for each middle school classroom and students can use this software more often.   If all students had access to computers, our “concept mapping” software would be utilized daily in different classes.  Most students prefer computers over pencil and paper because we are dealing with 21^st century learners.  

Blogging-A Useful Classroom Tool for Collaboration

After reading “Educational Blogging”, by S. Downes, I found that blogging could be a very useful educational tool that actively engages students and fully promotes collaboration.   According to Downes, blogging incorporates such skills as reading, reflecting, responding, criticizing, reacting, and questioning not only with classmates but other students or teachers all over the world.  As I have learned in previous graduate classes and from classroom experience, collaboration is an essential component of a successful learning environment.  Students learn from talking and listening to someone other than the teacher. The access to collaboration outside the classroom walls in which blogging provides could be even a more powerful learning opportunity for students. 

  According to Downes, blogs can be used to organize in-class discussions.  Class discussions are pertinent to actual learning and investigating.  Teachers could have students respond to material read or taught in class.  Open-ended questions could be answered on the blog.  This format could prove to be favorable for less talkative students. One advantage of blogging is the access to students who would not normally engage in classroom discussions.  It can really help a quiet timid student to share his/her ideas and responses in a more comfortable atmosphere. 

One problem I see with blogging is the parental concern of children’s responses available to the World Wide Web.   Privacy barriers could possibly be set if parents have concerns about public viewing of their children’s responses.

               Students could collaborate about a common text by reading, responding, questioning, and reacting.  Educators need to fully embrace technology (blogging) and realize it is not diminishing.  Students today were born in a technological world.  This is how they have lived and learned their entire lives.  We must conform to this change to ensure our students are learning in the best way possible.  Teachers who are hesitant about embracing technology could possibly start with blogging and be gradually led to a full mandated implementation of technology to create a 21^st century learning experience for students. 

Hi Girls....This is very new to me.  I hope this class turns me into a tech-savvy teacher.  I definitely see where blogging could be beneficial in the classroom.