We have finished our first class and I believe we are off to a good start. I have read your exit cards and will address the major issues in next class. One question is what does collaborative reflection look like so I am offering you an example with this blog. Most of your issues will be resolved as we get deeper into the readings as they are hard to explain since much of it is "learn by doing". Using the white boards for broad-stroke diagnostic assessment allowed me to see where you are as a class in your understandings of assessment. The exit cards are also a method of AfL and helped me see where individuals might need for further learning.
The new ways of thinking about assessment emerged during a time of heavy criticism toward standardized tests as the antithesis to real learning. AoL, AfL and AsL really represent an integrated system of assessment/learning that interconnects with instruction and curriculum. In many jurisdictions this system is known only as AfL. Across Canada AfL is differentiated into the 3 different areas. Most importantly, this "system" is not about a series of techniques (some of which you will learn/experience in this class). Experts talks about implementing the "spirit of AfL". The spirit of AfL refers to the spirit of learning rather than the dominance of the grade (Earl, Volante & Katz, 2011).
The first chapters on TAA revolve around basic principles of assessment. They sound so simple and make common sense - but it is surprisingly hard to implement these ideas. In Cooper's first book (2007), he presents 8 principles and then explains the principle(s) in each chapter. The book is rich with examples that make the learning come alive. By (2010) Cooper has written his high school book. The principles remain the same but he now includes much more context. He recognizes that assessment is taking place in changing times - largely affected by technology.
I am advocating for technological literacy because we really do need to have some of it for 21st Century teaching. One of you pointed out that we always should have a hard copy of what we are doing or have the presentation on a USB stick as well available online. This is because technology is notoriously unreliable at times - and, of course, more so when the user is uncertain of her skills. So when you are to do your technological literacy, please try it out as it turns out the university blocks certain sites.
For one, the university does not support Skype . Skype is a fabulous tool to talk to people all over the world for free (or a small price). You can also see each other at the same time. Recently, Skype added an educational arm that provides for classrooms around the world to connect to other classrooms or experts in the field. Yet, last year we could not connect with educators from Bluewater Board of Education because we could not get through on Skype and the university platform did not work well. Look at Skype in the classroom to see how a 5th grade class in Missouri connected with a class in Peru for collaborative learning. (Skype is very easy to download.)
Another site that you might find useful is Google. There are a number of fantastic applications that are very useful for education. One of the ones you might find useful is google.docs at google. You will need a gmail account to use this. Google.docs allows you to save your work and have it accessible at all times as long as you have Internet. Its most useful feature is to be able to work collaboratively with others. You might work with your colleagues on a presentation and all may be in your own homes. Many teachers use google.docs to so that students can collaborate with each other (and sometimes it is used so both teacher and parent can follow the child's work). To do this, one person uploads or creates a document on google.docs and then invites others to work with him or her.
I am currently collaborating with 2 others on a book on assessment and curriculum. One co-author just finished her M.Ed at Brock and the other is a doctoral student here. But they live in Chesley and Bracebridge. We meet on google.docs and can all write at the same time. We also talk on Skype so that we are talking and writing at the same time. We record the sessions on GaageBand'11as the one of us who is a doctoral student is doing her dissertation on collaborative writing in the age of technology. We have interviewed several teachers across Canada using this process where we all participate at once. (We have met our 21st Century educators through Twitter@susanmdrake).
I hope that you will learn many things in this course and that you will not be afraid to try new things. You will have some successes and some failures but eventually you will have a new repertoire that you are comfortable with. It is two steps forward and one step back if you are a digital immigrant as I am. And chances are you are also a digital immigrant as the first class of digital natives (Tapscott, 2007) just entered university and were born in 1993 Beloit College Mindset List. . That means that the students that you will be teaching grew up in the 21st Century and take digital literacy for granted. Take a look a the Mindset List. Scary?
References
Earl, L. Volante, L. & Katz, S. (2011). Unleashing the promise of Assessment for Learning, Education Canada, 51, 3, http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/unleashing-promise-assessment-learning
Tapscott, D. (2007). Growing up digital. New York: McGraw Hill. .
No comments:
Post a Comment