2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS·S.
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
At the beginning of the school year my students study the four factors of production in Social Studies. When I first began teaching, all we did is discuss the four factors and the examples that were given in the textbook. While I was in the Introduction to Technology in Schools I took that lesson and made it a little more hands on. I designed a project where my students will actually apply their knowledge of the factors and create their own chart of the four factor of production like the one in the textbook. The students get to select their own product (book, shirt, food, etc.) and do research on what goes into it. This lets them see what actually goes into everyday products that they use. They have to really think outside the box to find some of the resources that are included.
b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
This year my school has adopted a new Accelerated Reader (AR) program. We have had the old AR system, but the new program is so much better for the students. It allows students to create their own goals for reading using the provided goals chart. Then while they are reading they are able to access their own records and see how their goals are or are not being met. This new program is completely online, and it offers a new option for parents. Our
parents can now have more access to their students quiz records, total points, average reading level, as well as allow parents to sign up for email notifications for when their student takes a test and how well they did. Using
both of these tools my students can see their progress and assess how they personally are doing on achieving their goals.
c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
Towards the beginning of the school year my students do a unit about economics. In this unit we read about the different types of economies like market and command. We also have the students do a hands on activity that shows them the difference between under developed, developing, and fully developed countries. Last year we also added having the students explore the economics section of Mr. Donn’s Social Studies website and having them complete a web quest. Mr. Donn's website provides different activities and learning opportunities for our students. The web quest gives the students a different way of thinking about the economics concepts that we discuss in class. All of the ways that we present our economics unit cater to many of the different learning styles.
d. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching
In my classroom I have started using a Student Response System (SRS). This system has provided me with many different ways to assess my students learning. One example is how I have changed the way I check my students’ understanding of what the different types of Adjectives are. Before the system I reviewed with my students what an Adjective was and then guided them into learning the three different types of Adjectives (descriptive, demonstrative, and articles). I would finally have them take a paper and pencil quiz. Now I have my students type in examples of each kind of Adjective to their clicker. As they submit their response I put them on the SMARTBoard to help me assess their true learning. After several days of learning and review with the SRS, I do the same quiz but the students now use the SRS for me to get faster results to see if they are ready to move on to the next concept.
Throughout my completion of this program I have realized the value of changing assessments from paper and pencil quizzes to more hands on projects. These projects get the students thinking about what they have learned in a different light. One example of that is how I have changed the final assessment of a novel that we read each year, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit. At the end of this novel my fellow sixth grade teachers and I had our students complete quizzes over a few chapters and then one final review quiz at the end of the book. This past year, however, I came up with the idea to change the final quiz. For their final grade the students would be assigned to create a newspaper article describing the events in the book. They could pick several events or they could pick one large event, such as the kidnapping of Winnie or the jail break of Mae, to tell their readers. This assignment would be done with the usual paper and pencil for their rough draft, but their final draft would be done using Microsoft Publisher or Google Draw. I believe that this new assessment will be more fun for the students, as well as give them a skill that could become part of their everyday life.
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
At the beginning of the school year my students study the four factors of production in Social Studies. When I first began teaching, all we did is discuss the four factors and the examples that were given in the textbook. While I was in the Introduction to Technology in Schools I took that lesson and made it a little more hands on. I designed a project where my students will actually apply their knowledge of the factors and create their own chart of the four factor of production like the one in the textbook. The students get to select their own product (book, shirt, food, etc.) and do research on what goes into it. This lets them see what actually goes into everyday products that they use. They have to really think outside the box to find some of the resources that are included.
b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
This year my school has adopted a new Accelerated Reader (AR) program. We have had the old AR system, but the new program is so much better for the students. It allows students to create their own goals for reading using the provided goals chart. Then while they are reading they are able to access their own records and see how their goals are or are not being met. This new program is completely online, and it offers a new option for parents. Our
parents can now have more access to their students quiz records, total points, average reading level, as well as allow parents to sign up for email notifications for when their student takes a test and how well they did. Using
both of these tools my students can see their progress and assess how they personally are doing on achieving their goals.
c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
Towards the beginning of the school year my students do a unit about economics. In this unit we read about the different types of economies like market and command. We also have the students do a hands on activity that shows them the difference between under developed, developing, and fully developed countries. Last year we also added having the students explore the economics section of Mr. Donn’s Social Studies website and having them complete a web quest. Mr. Donn's website provides different activities and learning opportunities for our students. The web quest gives the students a different way of thinking about the economics concepts that we discuss in class. All of the ways that we present our economics unit cater to many of the different learning styles.
d. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching
In my classroom I have started using a Student Response System (SRS). This system has provided me with many different ways to assess my students learning. One example is how I have changed the way I check my students’ understanding of what the different types of Adjectives are. Before the system I reviewed with my students what an Adjective was and then guided them into learning the three different types of Adjectives (descriptive, demonstrative, and articles). I would finally have them take a paper and pencil quiz. Now I have my students type in examples of each kind of Adjective to their clicker. As they submit their response I put them on the SMARTBoard to help me assess their true learning. After several days of learning and review with the SRS, I do the same quiz but the students now use the SRS for me to get faster results to see if they are ready to move on to the next concept.
Throughout my completion of this program I have realized the value of changing assessments from paper and pencil quizzes to more hands on projects. These projects get the students thinking about what they have learned in a different light. One example of that is how I have changed the final assessment of a novel that we read each year, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit. At the end of this novel my fellow sixth grade teachers and I had our students complete quizzes over a few chapters and then one final review quiz at the end of the book. This past year, however, I came up with the idea to change the final quiz. For their final grade the students would be assigned to create a newspaper article describing the events in the book. They could pick several events or they could pick one large event, such as the kidnapping of Winnie or the jail break of Mae, to tell their readers. This assignment would be done with the usual paper and pencil for their rough draft, but their final draft would be done using Microsoft Publisher or Google Draw. I believe that this new assessment will be more fun for the students, as well as give them a skill that could become part of their everyday life.