Standardized Test - One Size Fits All?

I cannot begin to add up how many hours of training I have had over the last 20 years that has been directed at the fact that not all students are alike and therefore should not be treated alike, educated alike, and/or assessed alike. That is why it baffles me that my state (Texas), and the Nation for that matter, still persist in evaluating students with a standardized test given to all students of a particular grade level.

What about that student who has severe test anxiety? Or the dyslexic student? Or the kinesthetic student? Is a standardized test really a true representation of what these students know? NO!! To get a full and complete picture of what a student has learned, they must be evaluated in the way that they learn best. A better practice is to assess students using more than one format such as by portfolios, rubrics, standardized tests, oral questioning, and physical activities to see if they can do what is being asked. I do not believe that standardized test should be completely done away with; there are students who this is their best assessment method. I just do not believe it should be the only form of assessment.

I believe that it is only through a variety of assessment tools that I can get a true picture of what my students know and have learned. I will continue to assess my students in a variety of ways to ensure a fair view of their abilities in my classroom.

image from Edutwist - Teaching and Technology. (2009). retrieved December 1, 2010 from http://edutwist.com/elin/page/2/

Infusing Learning with Technology for Life

With the explosion of technology in the last decade, educators have a multitude of options to infusion their classrooms with technology. An ideal technology-infused classroom would not only have a 1-to-1 computer student ratio, but would also utilize numerous other types of technology such as; document camera, interactive whiteboard, student response clickers, mobi pad, AVermedia pens, podcasts, videos, Web 2.0 tools, online researching, online tutorials/games, and any other appropriate technology available. In such a classroom the teacher would be the director of the learning while the students would be in control of their learning.

Currently in my lab I do have the 1-to-1 ratio, projector, mobi pad, internet, and digital cameras. I currently cover Microsoft Office programs and digital graphic programs. What I need to do in my classroom is to integrate more Web 2.0 tools. I currently use Livebinders and a blog to deliver daily assignments to my students. Many of my lessons do incorporate research on the internet, and one way that I integrate core material is through online tutorials and games. In the coming semester I plan to begin having my students use a Wiki for some discussions, Animoto and Prezi for presentations, Google wave to collaborate, and blogs to improve their writing. I want to put my students in control of their learning and teach them as many Web 2.0 tools as I can.

My students are going to have to know how to learn and work with technology outside of high school. I know that they know how to use technology for entertainment, but I want show them educational uses. My goal is to prepare my students to successful use technology on their own once they leave my classroom.

Visual Literacy in the Digital Age

Students today have grown up in a technological and visual world. They have been raised with not only computers and the internet, but with the Rugrats, Bugs Bunny, and video games. This has developed them into learners who need both visuals and technology to learn. Visual literacy can help grab their attention, help them understand the text, and make them understand a concept better. One quick way to bring visual literacy into the classroom is through the use of the Internet. The Internet is full of visuals that can be used, from still images to videos. The impact on learning when combining visual literacy and technology is tremendous, because you have caught the students’ attention, given them the information in format easier to understand, and put the learning into their hands with technology.

I already use storyboards whenever the students need to plan out a project. Storyboards provide them with the opportunity to think about and plan how they want to present the information. I would like to add re-composing to my strategies. I have the students create several timelines throughout the year and could have them write about those in a more formal way after creating them. This could hopefully improve their writing skills. I am also going to have them use some online graphic organizers. I want to make my students aware of them so they can use them in other classes as well.

Being a technology teacher the Internet is a vital component of my daily classroom routine. I currently put all my assignments on the internet for my students to access. I am constantly looking for projects that utilize the Internet so that my students learn more educational uses for the Internet. I want my students to leave my classroom knowing that the Internet is way more than Myspace , Facebook, Youtube, or games. All of these have their benefits, but the Internet is full of fantastic, educational resources that my students will find useful now and later on in their lives.

Organized Pandemonium w/Technology for Success

Today’s students come to us from a wider variety of backgrounds and abilities than ever before. To fully meet the needs of our students, teachers can no longer simply lecture and pass out worksheets. This type of instruction is not successful with today's students. This also does not prepare our students for the real world where they will be expected to work with others and develop solutions to problems.

As 21^st Century students they have been born into a technology right environment. Expecting our students to power down in our classrooms is unreasonable. One of the best ways to accommodate different learning levels in a classroom is to integrate technology. Students can be grouped to create presentations, while others practice concepts on tutorial programs, while others can be demonstrating what they know on the interactive white board while playing an educational game. This type of technology integration allows for more student success and more student involvement. This type of varied instruction and environment also better prepares them for working in the real world.

In my classroom I am trying to incorporate more online resources. Teaching in a lab setting my students are use to using what the computer has to offer to work together. I want to show my students all the internet has to offer for collaborating and learning together.

A little About this Blog (& Myself)

My name is Dusti (with an I because I am a female).  I am the Proud single, mother of two wonderful boys; Zack (14) and Taylor (11).  To further provide for my sons and to show them the importance of education, I have recently returned to school to complete my Masters Degree.  This Blog is being created as part of the requirements for obtaining that degree.

When I graduated college in 1991 with my Teaching Certificate, computers were just starting to come into existence, and certainly were being used very little in education.  Therefore my teaching fields were Business and Math.  Through the Business Degree I was very fortunate to  move to Technology classes 14 years ago.  I am a digital immigrant and proud of it!!!

I firmly believe we can no longer teach the way we learned (talking about my generation).  Educators must teach with, and completely integrate, technology into their classrooms, lessons, daily lives in order to actively engage today's students.  This is also why I am seeking my Masters.  I want to help/teach teachers how to better utilize technology in their classrooms and lessons.

So join me here as I explore Digital Learners and Learning more this semester.