My Response to "Life in the Classroom- Assessment by Teachers, For Learning

A Response to Life in the Classroom—Assessment By Teachers, For Learning by Bernie Froese-Germain

Overall, this was a great, informative article. It reminds the reader of the ongoing struggle between the government and the teaching profession in regards to the types of assessment which should be used in schools.

It seems to me that this controversy exists because the two sides (government and teachers) want to be using assessment for the same purposes but with  different approaches. Both parties seem to be concerned with assessing student learning. Both standardized testing and classroom-based testing have their strengths so I don`t think that all of one and none of the other is a practical solution. Both governments and teachers seem to be interested in using student assessment as a method of gauging the effectiveness of teaching.The difference here is that some governments believe that such large-scale tests can be used to evaluate teacher performance on an teacher-by-teacher basis. Teachers, on the other hand., believe that classroom assessment is the proper way to gauge the effectiveness of learning.   The article goes on to explain how many teachers in the profession are thinking about or have already left the profession because so much pressure is put on the teachers to have their students perform well on standardized tests that teachers are having to neglect teaching the curriculum in order to focus on the student`s skills in taking tests.  I believe that where the `stakes`are high enough (jobs or pay could be lost) that standardized testing becomes counter-productive.

I think overall this was a very well written article, and gives good range of views on assessment from a number of countries.

Web Awareness Concept Map

Lesson Plan Idea

Reference Section:

http://resources.kaboose.com/games/math-popper.html

This is my idea. I want to use the game below to solidify the class’s ability to add numbers efficiently.

http://resources.kaboose.com/games/math-popper.html

I will have a standing challenge for the class throughout the semester.The incentive for the class to get a Friday class party, They must be able to complete five levels flawlessly, with a different student on the smart board per level, A student may not try again until the whole class has gone. There will be a set order that the class will rotate through so all student get an equal opportunity to answer the questions. From the math curriculum, for grade 4, the outcomes are as follows:

GLO: Develop Number Sense

SLO:Demonstrate an understanding of addition of numbers with answers to 
10 000 and their corresponding subtractions

CTS Outcome:

C6 – Students will use technology to investigate
and/or solve problems.

* 2.1 select and use technology to assist in problem solving

* 2.5 solve problems requiring the sorting, organizing, classifying and extending of data, using such tools as calculators, spreadsheets, databases or hypertext technology .

Rational: The combination of the web applications and SMART board technology makes this a fun, engaging and challenging activity that serves as both practice for the students and evaluation for the teacher.

Assignment #2

So, here’s my ppt:

3508 assignment 2

View more presentations from jweezer88.

http://www.slideshare.net/jweezer88/3508-assignment-2

 

And, as requested, 5 qualities of an effective presentation which I employed:

1.It is simplistic. It has few words, and few slides.

2.it employs the use of images in order to convey a concept

3.heiarchy of points and subpoints are reflected in the  typeface

4.size, style and fonts are kept consistant

5. everything is made LARGE!

 

TTYL!

Who Am I ? How Do I Use Technology In Education?

Hello World! I am Chucky Shrimpshack. I am a student of the University of Lethbridge Education faculty.  As a brief introduction to myself, I'll let you know a few things about me as a person:

1.I am a family guy- I have been married for a few years and have been in love with my wife for a few months longer than that. Together we have 2 beautiful children: a boy and a girl.

2. I am a God-fearing guy- I believe in religous freedom and I exercise mine to its fullest capacity. I take great efforts to live my religion and understand the religons of others.

3.I am a hard working guy- the best way to get something done is to do it, and do it well. I was raised to work for what I wanted, so thats how I roll.

4.I am a fun loving guy- A life without laughter is a life not lived, So I laugh whenever I can get away with it.

I have had a great experience with technology as a teaching tool.  Getting a laptop was the best thing that could of happened to me at university. I was able to take faster,more thourough and more legible notes.  I have been more organized in my work and more time efficient. As a result there is a noticible rise in my overall performance here at the U of L since I started primarily using a laptop rather than pen and paper for school. Not only that, but I have the personal satisfaction of being almost completely paperless! Technology (when used properly) can greatly improve the quality of learning for a student.

Blogging in Education

First I must confess:  I have traditionally been sceptical about blogs, regarding them as :

a) Another way for vain people to continue to be vain.

b) A great way to leak personal information onto the internet so your mom, your boss and probably your mom’s boss can find out things about you they probably shouldn’t.

Upon reading many of the given material regarding blogs, I was surprised they have many practical including:

1)A great place to post reminders for students such as important dates and links to important documents (due to Their reverse chronological order).

2) Using a blog as a forum where students can post questions and have classmates or teachers post feedback is a great tool. Blogs can reach out to students who are afraid to speak in class or are stuck on a particular concept.

3)Using the blog for personal reflection allows students to express themselves in their own words, in their own  way and in their own time, This is a great evaluation tool where a teacher can get a more accurate idea of how the concepts taught in class are being understood.

4) Students can use a blog as a portfolio in which the post their work throughout the year. It is available for family to appreciate and for fellow students to gain ideas from.

In Conclusion, I feel blogs can be a useful tool in education for classroom management, self expression and evaluation.

This is a Test

This is a test to see if I can embed a music player in a blog:

Here’s a picture of my family:

I can insert hyperlinks:

http://www.ted.com/