Rubrics, Clickers, Inspiration/Kidspiration

Technology based rubrics can be useful ways to assess student learning. Rubric banks already have several rubrics that are ready to use to evaluate different tasks. You simply find the one that you want and use it. The downside to rubric banks is that it may be hard to find one that specifically meets your intended learning outcomes. In other words you shouldn’t find the first rubric and use it because it may not align with the purpose that you had for the assignment. The positive side of using rubric banks is that it saves teachers lots of time. Rubric generators help the teacher to create their own rubrics. They can be very helpful tools because, they walk you through a series of steps that helps you to create the best possible rubric, one that includes all elements that you want to assess. Using a good rubric to assess a project is very important. I think that a teacher should take advantage of the rubric tools that are out there but should be willing to create their own if it is necessary to get the best results. I can use rubric banks and generators in my class when I am grading shop projects or when I give them a paper to write over an agricultural issue.

I think that using clickers in the classroom is a good way to assess what students are learning. Students answer a question by clicking a button on a remote and the teacher gets a summary of all of the student’s responses immediately. It helps the teacher to know what they may need to modify in their teaching because they will see if the students are learning. It gets the students actively engaged in the class and, therefore, allows students to retain the information.  I can use clickers in my classroom when I need to know if my teaching methods are working. I can ask them questions about what we have learned in class and see if students are learning from the class. I can imagine how frustrating it would be to get to the end of a section and find out that nobody gets it. That should make the teacher ask themselves if they need to change something. I believe that using clickers can help with that.

Inspiration and Kidspiration are both visual aides that help students to comprehend and learn by organizing their thoughts. I could have my ag class to do a semester long project that involves them researching a topic, have them to put their findings in an outline format, and  then  present it to the class by using Inspiration. I think that it would be a very beneficial learning experience for those that create the presentation, but it will give others an opportunity to learn from it as well.

Reference:

            Meaningful Learning With Technology—Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R.M. & Crismond, D. (2008). Pearson, Merrill/Prentice Hall, 3^rd edition.

            Inspiration/Kidspiration: Inspiration Software, Inc Retrieved November 24, 2010 from http://www.inspiration.com/

:

Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is a way that students can use their creativity to develop a story. “With digital storytelling, students use their creative skills to create a storyboard on paper, use a camera to shoot a video, and finally to edit their video on a computer by using some type of software.”(Jonassen, Howland, Marra, Crismond pg. 211) They get the opportunity to work with visual images, text and sound effects.  In the first part of the production process students research, make notes, and organize the information they are gathering in order to develop the structure for their story. This part includes storyboarding so that they can start the filming process. They should also make a checklist that they can refer to so that they include all of the important elements in the story.  Then students will start to shoot their video. Digital storytelling is a fun way to let students experiment and try out different roles such as director, actor, or editor. During all of this the students will be learning. I don’t know how it would work in an ag classroom. I could give my students a digital storytelling assignment where they have to create a story that takes place in a barn with different species of livestock. They could use what they are learning in class and at the ag farm in the creation of the story. It would be fun to experiment with.

Math is one of those subjects that seems to come easy for some people and for others it is foreign. They don’t get it. It seems to me that people either enjoy math or they hate it. The main reason for this is because they don’t understand it. Using visual tools helps tremendously when learning math. Software programs such as Tinker Plots, Fathom Dynamic Statistics and Geometry Supposer can all be useful in making math more real for students. Using graphing calculators can be a  helpful tool for learning math.

Yes, I do think it is possible to learn something from watching TV instruction, however, I think that for some people it might not be the most beneficial way to learn something. Some college students need to be in a classroom with an instructor while some may be able to benefit from internet classes.  I think it’s important to do as many hands on activities during and after the instruction because listening to lectures is simply not enough for some people to grasp a concept. Some learners are able to listen to a teacher and they seem to remember what they have learned while others cannot. I need to do as much hands on as I possibly can because that is how I learn best. Applying what you learn will reinforce what you have been taught and will help the information to sink in. I think it depends on the individual as to how much success they will have from TV instruction.

References:

Meaningful Learning With Technology—Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R.M. &  Crismond, D.(2008). Pearson, Merrill/Prentice Hall, 3^rd edition.