Confusion:
This is the second class and third experience with UbD lesson planning. However, this has been by far the most difficult time I’ve had with it. I feel like many ideas I have had or thoughts aren’t clearly expressed in my UbD so I’m working around clarification. A main component of this is time. I have had a very limited amount of time to put towards this class so in turn, my products reflect that. But this leads me to my celebration! Celebration: I get to celebrate the fact that I am completing this Master’s course while maintaining a full time teaching job, two other classes, and implementing two large grants. Another celebration is getting a MUCH better idea of UbD and understanding my strengths and weaknesses. I realize that I have all these great ideas and a dozen different ways my lesson can go. However, I seem to get lost in my lesson and need to continuously reflect back on, “what is the goal of this lesson?” Knowing that this is a common weakness of mine will help me in all my lesson planning in the future--- keep the outcome in mind! Interest: Presenting my unit was an interesting experience. I first submitted a lesson that, well, was rather boring and dry. The minimum requirements were met. And then I explored other people’s presentation of their UbD and felt really inspired to create a more appealing presentation. This also made me a lot more interested in exploring screen-cast-omatic and prezi for future classes.
0 Comments
This has been my constant struggle this year. What will work better for my students and I? Paper or online assessments? I know the answer is about balance. How do I find what the balance is and how do I make it work? I was hoping to come out of this week with a little more insight, but I still feel at a loss. I think the data collected from online assessments is valuable, but does it go beyond just data? Should I put more emphasis on paper assessments and products rather than collecting data to see a trend? Ultimately, how do I balance both? Melissa talked about her experience with an only online assessment school and the lack of benefits seen during that time. I agree that we will never see as much growth in our students if we only stick to a number in our data. Our students are so much more than that which is why the e-portfolio method constitutes a more wholesome picture of our students. Her idea of using portfolios for self assessment is the direction we should be headed-- but my problem is how do we find the time to make them as efficient as possible for every age? Casey mentioned the positives of online assessments such as immediate feedback, excitement, and less time grading. However, the ultimate question is whether these pros are enough to outweigh the negatives. It takes students a long time to familiarize themselves with online format, which then gives skewed data. Should we persist with online assessments even when very little data shows it is better than other methods? They key here is balance! However, I’m stuck at how balance looks these days. To finish this reflection, Bill said it perfectly that, “Another problem with these kinds of tests is that they give us a snapshot in time rather than any meaningful ideas about growth.” As educators, how will we balance this drawback to online assessment? Week 10 How do technology-based assessments contrast with paper-based assessments? Pros? Cons? This topic is very relevant in my classroom right now as I notice a few students finding success and failures with technology. Just yesterday I had a conference with a parent who highlighted how hard it is for their child to focus on math assessments given online. In my 2nd grade classroom, all math assessments are online so that they can hear an audio recording of the question. Generally, this works great for most students; however, I’m finding that one or two students are either struggling with the content or with the format of the test. Starting next week, I’m going to start giving this student paper assessments to see if their score increases at all. In the meantime, I am curious what are common disadvantages to online assessments that this student may be experiencing? I found a few common disadvantages as I researched online. Impersonal and a lack of face time can often hinder students from performing their best on a test (Classroom Assessment). I do feel like with my student they get bored quickly and zone out with an online assessment. The computer screen immediately puts a negative connotation to the test. Other drawbacks are higher chance of cheating and technology connection issues. I am curious to start experimenting with paper tests to see if, at all, any improvement is noticed with this particular student. For the rest of my class, they seem to be finding the online assessments unproblematic. Benefits we see in online assessments are independence, immediate feedback, flexibility, lower cost, more frequent, and differentiated (education solutions). For elementary years, online assessment can help with struggling learners as it provides more visuals and audio recordings. Some alternatives teachers can use in their classroom for formative and summative assessments are found in the picture below. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2016/take-three-55-digital-tools-and-apps-for-formative-assessment-success/ Sources: Classroom Assessment Theory into Practice. 2017. Retrieved from https://classroom-assessment-theory-into-practice.wikispaces.com/Online+Assessment+Tools Education Solutions. 2013. The Benefits of Online Testing. Retrieved from https://www.wonderlic.com/blog/online-testing/ |
Author2nd Grade teacher at Keet Gooshi Heen in Sitka, Alaska Archives
December 2017
Categories |