stephen downes blog on evaluation

Oh, I couldn’t pass up this blog when went looking for a blog to talk about evaluation. This is a different way of talking about those standardized testing that we have all learned to love and charish. I found it at this site. It was great to finally hear a perspective that is similar to mine. Stephen said how can most students be below norm when the norm is what sets the standards. He goes on to say that after so much testing we aren’t testing achievement anymore, we are testing conformity. I agree and think that all this testing isn’t doing our students any good and isn’t testing achievement, but rather we can get the students to conform to do their “best on the test”.

changing objectives

When I read the question, should the goals and objectives change for online classes, I immediately wanted to comment NO. I could be totally wrong about this, but I feel that the students taking the same class in a classroom should be learning the same things that a student taking that class online is. If this wasn’t the case, then the class shouldn’t be called the same class. I wanted to go ahead and comment on this before I read anyone else’s blogs so it wouldn’t bias my opinion. Of course that doesn’t mean I won’t backpedal a couple of days from now.

Assessing a Learner

The only way to assess someone that is truly learning is to have them show you what they have learned in a cumulating project. I believe I heard that somewhere before. Oh yea, that is what we have to do for this class. Since we have been guided during this class as a learner, I felt that our final project is a perfect was to assess true learners.

How non blogger teachers communicate…

They don’t. I know several teachers that don’t even check their email because they don’t know how. I also know several teachers that you never see or talk too unless we have a mandatory meeting at which they sit by them selves. Communication amoung teachers in my school isn’t really something we do alot.

Portfolio and cheating

I don’t understand the big hype about portfolios. All the seniors in the state of KY must have portfolio with 5 pieces in them. This is then graded by the staff at the high school to prove that our students can write and write in such a way that the state is happy. I feel that eporfolios would make more sense since they start writing them their freshman years. This eportfiolio would allow the students to change, add, and delete pieces as they mature in writing. I am not for sure what they prove though. Why does the state want them? They give us the guide lines and train everyone to grade them the same and we keep them and the students never need them again. I don’t even think that that type of writing is required in the colleges (don’t know for sure though). The big hype may be to make sure that graduating students can read and write. You know you hear all those stories about the jocks graduating without being able to read or write. I guess they feel that can’t happen with portfolios. Yea, write! I’ve learned with high school students, where there is a will there is a way.

Of course this leads us to the cheating aspect of this blog. I would like to share a statement for one of my students just yesterday about cheating. “you can’t prove it and if you can’t prove it you can’t do anything about it.” Well, technically they are correct. I visually seen the student cheating thus promptly moved the other students away from that student. Of course, that student got mad and commented that I couldn’t give him a zero because he had the three problems down that he copied from the other student and I couldn’t prove that he cheated and that they would believe him over me. I just laughed and said yea, they sure will believe it with only 3 problems done and the rest of the test is blank. His tune changed a little then and he admitted he hadn’t listened in class, but of course was ready to listen them, during the test. Needless to say, he failed.
I also have another chronic cheater in another class that doesn’t know that I know she is cheating. I am waiting to catch her on a test, but haven’t had any luck yet. I plan next test to give her a specialized test just for her and hopefully cure her of her cheating ways. I’ll let you know how this turns out. By they way, I always call home after I catch a student cheating so that they will know why their student’s grades are so bad. (the parent always calls weeks later and asks anyways, but I just remind them of the situation).
Ok, I’ve given plenty of examples, I feel the only way for a student (the ones that are constant cheaters) is for them to want to learn the content. To make it interesting enough to them or to make it impossible to complete an the cumulative assignment without have learned the information instead of cheating. I have not mastered either one, but feel that if I could I wouldn’t have any one cheating.

Clarence on “whose tools? Theirs”

I feel that Clarence’s blog on Remote Access is the perfect example for merging the two classes I am taking together. Clarence is talking about whose tools? These technology tools belong to our students where as we might actually be able to use them, the students own them. By own them, I mean, they are able to incorporate and use them naturally and whithout second thought while we are still looking at how to download them. I mean no offense to the tech savy person, but unless you have never known of the “slow” ways of the world you don’t realize your limitations. Things to this day still amaze me. We were discussion eportfolios and I am still not used to the regular portfolios that the seniors are required to submit each year. I feel that this is the perfect example of showing how we are the immigrants and the next generations are the native like Pensky says. The students in this article were one step ahead of the administration and already knew what to do and what would be required of them as students. We don’t give our students enough freedom especially when it comes to technology.
Another lesson to learn from this blog by Clarence is that we need to learn how to incorporate every day tools, like IM into our schools. We shouldn’t ban them an keep them out just because someone MIGHT do something bad. If that were the case we shouldn’t let the students into the school because we know that they ARE going to do something bad ( or at least one will within the year). Since that would be silly to keep students out of school because of what they might do, it is also silly to limit the students because some students will do things inappropriately. I feel that with rules and guidelines the students will be able to use any tools they normally use at home, productively at school. The ones that are going to use the tools properly already know what is right and what is inappropriate. Of course, there will be some you will have to ban from the computer and enforce strict punishments for breaking the rules. If the rules are enforced for all, then they should all learn quickly not to abuse their privilege or it can and will be taken away.
Again all these things have been talked about in the two classes I am taken, so it just goes to show you how relevant these classes are.

Stressed

I figure every two weeks I need to let off some steam. I feel that I am on overload with the two classes coming to an end. I just wanted to make sure we are all feeling this way. I missed the chat on Monday because I didn’t’ check my email on the right day. I locked my keys in my room that let me in the school on a rainy day and I forgot to tell a student to stay for ESS like their mother asked me too. And that is just one day. I also have a hole in the roof of my bathroom where my roof leaked and a bedroom without a floor because it was rotten and needs to be replaced. (by the way I mean literally no floor, it is the dirt under the house if you walk in) The good news is the foundation is also rotten around the room and all the furniture that was in the room is scattered in all the others rooms where you can’t walk. This is all in addition to regular house duties and regular teacher duties, meetings, and CATS score coming out. A good thing that happened this week is our BAnd won State!! So if I can get some spare time somewhere along the way, I will try to do the two papers for Dr. Miller’s class and begin to work on the Final Project in this class. Anyone else feels like talking about it, PLease feel free so that I know I’m not alone. (if you can top you house having this many problems even after you just remodeled 6 years ago and put a new roof on it then)

classroom studio

I read thisblog about changing a classroom into a studio. It stated that test scores go up by 11% by simple redesigning classrooms to better designs. The studio atmosphere would be one like a painter has in their studio, free to create what ever you want. This means more projects that the students choose and are free to do what they can create. More of an open learning environment.
The rigid schedule for bells telling you when to turn on your math mind and off your science minds would not exist. We need to be working on learning, not dividing up all the hours of the day into certain subjects. This seems like a open learning atmosphere and a great idea to foster self paced work and students working to learn not for a grade. I think this is a great idea and would like to have examples of this. I would like for a teacher that is using this method to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the studio classroom.

Learning more than I thought

I just want everyone to know that last week I thought we were on week 9 and I was very confused when no one else was blogging on theories. So, since I have extra time I actually did something that I should of done a month ago, I added a bunch of math bloggs to my aggregate. I just typed in math in the add part of the aggregate and got some really great things. I just thought I woould share incase you haven’t already put your content area in your aggregate.

Moderate

I just wanted to point out that I didn’t realize that I had to approve a reply before it would post in my blog. sorry to all those I didn’t reply to. I just did that today. Notice the reply for Stephen Downes!!