Authentic Assessment

Do you believe that authentic assessment is possible in every subject area? Can students at every grade level demonstrate mastery through authentic assessment? Why or why not? It it practical to ask teachers to complete these types of activities in the current, high stakes testing environment?

Authentic assessment is an essential learning tool.  Students need to be able to demonstrate their knowledge in real-life applications.  Knowledge is useless unless a student can put it into action.  It doesn't matter if you know alot of facts, but if you cannot apply that knowledge, it will not help you.  I also think that teachers need to incorporate authentic assessment into their curriculum even though we are under pressure to pass the state testing.  Even on the ISTEP+ test, there is an Applied Skills part of the the test which is what authentic assessment is really about.  The applied skills part of the test asks students to use the standards in a real-life situation.  Whether it is finding which store has the best discount on items to how much fencing will be needed around the garden, students will need to apply their knowledge of basic math concepts to solve real problems.

Authentic assessment needs to be used in the classrooms.   It does not need to be an every day assignment, but it is a great way for students to truly demonstrate their understanding.

New Grading System

With the increased focus on adding technology to classroom, a new way of looking at how students should learn is also being discussed. The idea is for students to show "mastery" before moving on to a new concept.  This is a great idea in the perfect world.  However, this concept does not match up with our current grading system.

If a student showed "mastery' before moving on to the next concept, all students will either have an A or B in the class.  We are going to move to mastering a subject; we will also need to find a different type of grading scale.  I do not see how the current A to F grading scale will coincide with the concept of mastery.

Debating How to Use Technology

Is it wise to allow teachers to take these "baby steps" initially by only implementing technology at the lower levels of SAMR, or should peers and administrators insist that educators examine and adapt their teaching methods to include more engaging uses for technology, too?

This question was posed to use in Module 3.  I see this question as two completely different elements.  First of all, how to start adding technology, and a completely separate question, should administrators require teachers to add to it to their classes.

When adding technology, there are several models available to teachers on how to begin adding technology.  The SAMR method is just one of those examples.  When adding technology, teachers will feel more comfortable by starting small and taking "baby steps" while moving toward more advance projects.

At some point along the way, administrators will need to monitor and check to make sure teachers are progressing up the model to a higher level.  We are all guilty of doing things that are only in our comfort level.  It will take alot of time and research for the teachers to begin adding technology to their classroom.  However, if administrators do not insist that teachers are working to advance their classes, it will never happen.  By nature, we are not going to step out of our comfort zone until we are forced too.

It will be time consuming and it will take some trial and error.  But change will not happen until teachers begin to take the steps to move into the digital age.

Making Changes

When asked "How could you adapt or change one of your current class/course policies to reflect a moving mindset? Is this a change you are willing to make? Why or Why not?"

Today's classrooms are different from what they were twenty years ago when I first started teaching. As an educator it is my responsibility to do all that I can to prepare my students for the future.  I do not only need to prepare them for 8th grade, but I need to help them learn how to become thinkers.  There are going to many more changes in the develop of technology between now and when my students graduate high school.  The best way I can help my students is by helping them to begin using technology to solve math problems and begin to think outside the box.
Yes, I plan to begin to using technology more in my classroom.  I do not see any other option.  If I truly want to educate my students, they need to begin to using technology.