I uploaded several pictures I have taken of my students this year in a couple of different activities to a flickr account. I have never used a photo sharing service before and I have to say I am hooked. I was amazed at how easy it was to add them to my page. Students would not have too much difficulty in doing the same once they had pictures downloaded from a camera to their computer.
One way I think photo sharing could be incorporated into an educational activity would be to require students to take pictures of the procedures they performed in a science fair project. Their photo sharing page would be documentation of what they did and they could easily add descriptions telling the viewer what is going on in each photo or step in the process they carried out in their experiment.
Concerns I always have when pictures of students themselves are posted to a public site is that there are never names associated with the pictures that could in any way identify the child. Our district requires special permission to be granted from a parent before names are added to pictures on any site. Students could add personal information about themselves or classmates to pictures which could violate privacy or endanger them.
Organization and protection of pictures are benefits I can see with using a photo sharing site. All of the favorite shots can be kept in an easy to view spot with information on each. If a hard drive crashes or a flash drive is lost, the pictures are still safely kept on the sharing site. Another benefit is that friends and relatives who are separated geographically can stay in touch with one another in a more visual way by accessing the site. I could see grandparents enjoying such a service.
With regard to the reading assignment on instructional design, I found myself thinking of examples of how I have used the various aspects of ID when developing lesson plans and units in my class. However, there are some parts that I feel I do not incorporate or do so only marginally or ineffectively.
The students are definitely the center of the instructional development process. It is all about the outcomes they produce. I am very much goal oriented, but the goals have been set for me as I must live up to the Grade Level Content Standards or the Common Core Standards, as we are increasingly moving toward. I believe, especially, in my reading class, that I have a meaningful way for students to perform. When they complete a book of their choice at their own reading level, they are to write a letter to me telling me all about the book. I can determine if they are understanding what they read. Response journals are another way I have students demonstrate their ability to utilize the various comprehension or fluency strategies I am teaching them. Book club discussion groups are an authentic setting, I believe, that allows students to perform and show what they know. It isn’t perfect, but I believe it is much more meaningful and authentic than a multiple choice test on a piece of text the had to read.
In math I am involved in creating formative assessments based on the GLCEs. As a grade level team, we look at the results at the end of each quarter assessment and revise our instruction based on the strengths and weaknesses of our students. Finding the time, however, to go back and reteach those struggling students and keep up with the daily lessons our curriculum demands of us is a complicating matter to be sure.
Analysis does come into play with these formative assessments and MEAP scores provide some summative data for us to look at, but it is difficult to analysis to set overall goals as they have been set for us by the state as mentioned previously with the GLCEs.
Evaluation is tricky at times, too. Aside from the MEAP, there are two other evaluation tools we use in reading and one in math. The reading assessment, I believe, can be skewed due to nervousness in a student that hinders their fluency and accuracy in their oral reading. Are we getting a true picture of what the child has accomplished under these conditions? The math assessment is given at the beginning and end of the year and requires students to click multiple choice questions on a computer. Will a student rush through it just to call it done at the end of May when it is beautiful outside and they want to make sure they don’t miss any recess? I feel the evaluation tools we use, at times, do not give me an accurate picture of a child’s true progress and attainment of the goals that have been set for their learning.
No comments:
Post a Comment