In the age of post- No Child Left Behind - and in anticipation of the Common Core State Standards, us grad students are left with a lot to think about. While our excitement builds for becoming teachers, there is also a feeling of impending doom. For myself, I can directly attribute this to the Educational Revolution that we are experiencing.
Many of us grew up, specifically during our teen years, under the guise of No Child Left Behind. This means that we are used to testing,evaluations, assessments and quantitative analysis - most of which were good old fashioned fill in the blanks on a scan-tron and short essays. However, as we move into the age of CCSS and Race to the Top, we must learn as both teachers and students that our idea of testing, assessments and grading surely has change. We are already grading our students in a technological world - posting all grades on-line so that students and parents can get up to the minute reads on student progress. If we are already utilizing online grading, how far away is online assessment for K-12 on a national level?
As future teachers, how can we adequately prepare our students to succeed in a technological world? Well, if we create a technologically friendly environment for students to function in, our students will then be able to be comfortable in technological assessment. That is not to say that I think the shift that we are being forced to make is what I would choose for my students. However, technology in our classrooms is not a fleeting thought or passing idea. It is not going away!
The Common Core State Standards encourage our students to work in a technological world and to compete on an international level. However, just as No Child Left Behind and every other educationally revolutionary government crusade before, it will succumb to a new and improved version. So, as a teacher, what is the best way to adhere to the standards that we are given, while not allowing it to overhaul our practices? My plan for my classroom is to use technology inclusive and academically driven lessons (not assessment based) which encourage curiosity, discussion and success, regardless of the educational trend.
Questions:
As a teacher, whatis your plan for assessing your students in a technological world?
What can we as teachers do to make students more comforatble with technological assessmesments?
Do you think that the Common Core State Standards will exist for an extended period of time? Why or why not?
In order to prepare our students to succeed in a technological world, teachers just need to know one thing- how do we organize or make use of information online. I think our role may be like an editor of a film. We need to decide which information, for example, the video, we should organize at the begining so that we can provide enough introduction for students.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is our responsibility to organize information and content in a way that integrates the use of technology. The ways in which we do that from classroom to classroom may vary however. Some content may lend itself more to this integration, while others may force us to get a bit more creative.
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