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nwhipple

Implementation in an Elementary Classroom (Articles) - 1 views

moodlesw.aeapdonline.org/...view.php

shared by nwhipple on 26 Jul 15 - No Cached
  • Step Three: Develop a Universally-Designed Lesson Referring to the Class Learning Snapshot, you will transform an existing lesson using the Personalized Learning (PL) Lesson template. You will use the model and examples to assist you in establishing a learning goal for this lesson, how to unpack the Common Core State Standards with your learners, design a warm-up activity that will engage specific learners based on the Class Learning Snapshot. You will also universally-design the new vocabulary along with guided and independent activities as the framework of the lesson
    • dwefel
      dwefel on 26 Jul 15
       
      I like how it mentions using an existing lesson. This might make it easier for teachers just to start. Taking something they already know and tweaking it a bit to make is a PL lesson. I also like how it talks about models and examples to assist; when starting something new I ALWAYS need lots of examples and models for understanding.
    • Alison Ruebel
      Alison Ruebel on 27 Jul 15
       
      Yes, I agree! I like how all throughout these 6 steps it talks about models and examples to help us along. I'm one that needs visuals or templates to go off of to help guide me when doing something new too :) Although in the article, I wish it would show us what they mean by the templates and examples so we can get more of an idea of what they mean.  (-Alison Ruebel)
    • kaberding
      kaberding on 28 Jul 15
       
      I agree with you both!  Models are important to students, so why wouldn't they be important for teachers to get the idea!  I'm at ease knowing that we can take the lessons we have and then move them toward personal learning.  Why reinvent the wheel?
    • jroffman
      jroffman on 29 Jul 15
       
      I also like how it talks about one lesson, I personally dive into new ideas head first and then can't figure out why I am drowning! I like the idea of one lesson at a time. 
    • kainley
      kainley on 30 Jul 15
       
      ^^Yes go slow, I like anything that tells me to do that! I also like the idea of having steps to take as a guide and I agree it would be nice to have an actual template to see.
    • nwhipple
      nwhipple on 01 Aug 15
       
      Like you all said, models are important not only to students but teachers as well.  Teachers need to be shown how to do something right the first way before we expect our students to do the same.
  • We review how each generation processes information differently and how digital information has changed teaching and learning. We discuss the how and why people approach life depending on their mindset, the importance of failure to learn, unlearn, and relearn, and the skills needed to be college and career ready.
    • dwefel
      dwefel on 26 Jul 15
       
      This reminds me of a title of a book I read, "If they don't learn the way you teach, then teach the way they learn." So true!
    • jillnovotny
      jillnovotny on 31 Jul 15
       
      Good point! It is interesting to think about how learners have changed from one generation to another. When I was in elementary school, we were just starting to use computers more. Nowadays, almost every classroom has access to computer, iPads, or other types of technology. Digital information has definitely changed teaching and learning over the years, and it is going to continue to change! It is so important for educators to continue to do professional learning to prepare for these changing learners.
  • You will develop a rationale why assessment as learning creates independent, expert and self-regulated learners. Expert learners and assessment as learning is the key for learners taking responsibility for their learning.
    • dwefel
      dwefel on 26 Jul 15
       
      Exactly! Students taking charge of their learning. That is exactly what we need to create. It will be neat to see once this is statewide after 10 years of implementation.
    • jillnovotny
      jillnovotny on 31 Jul 15
       
      Assessment as learning, or assessment for learning, has been a major focus in my school district for the past 5 years or so. Within the structure of personalized learning, it makes complete sense that students would be able to take responsibility for their learning through self and peer assessment. Students are often more aware of their strengths and areas for improvement than we teachers are, because they know which parts of the assignment/project were more difficult for them. 
    • nwhipple
      nwhipple on 01 Aug 15
       
      Assessment for learning drives our curriculum and lessons.  I agree that if we expect our students to guide their own learning, they need to be able to tell us what it is they are learning about through questioning by teachers and peers.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • Although her natural inclination is “to help my students when they’re stumped or confused, I need constantly to remind myself that when I supply an answer or even suggest a method for finding an answer, I’m not truly helping.” In terms of the tenets of inquiry-based instruction, she explains, when she answers students’ questions straightforwardly instead of asking questions to help the students find the answers themselves, she’s actually interfering with the learning process.
    • Alison Ruebel
      Alison Ruebel on 27 Jul 15
       
      This is interesting. This would be so hard for many teachers to do, because we are just so used to helping our students, it's natural to us. We need to get into a different mindset and let our students figure things out and question. This would be difficult to change, but knowing it's not helping our students to help them out, tell them answers or suggest how to find an answer, that we are just interfering with our student's learning.
    • dwefel
      dwefel on 28 Jul 15
       
      I agree! I think teachers naturally want to nurture students but in the end it is hurting more than helping.
    • jroffman
      jroffman on 29 Jul 15
       
      I also fear that when teachers stand back students may just give up. I also feel that many teachers have so many things to get done in a day they don't have enough time for this type of learning. 
    • jillnovotny
      jillnovotny on 31 Jul 15
       
      Letting students figure things out for themselves (in a supportive classroom environment where there are resources available for them to find the answers to their questions) is crucial for true learning. For this reason, it is so important that teachers are skilled at using guiding and probing questions to move students' thinking forward without giving them the answer or telling them how to find it. 
  • “Many teachers mistakenly assume kids know how to think,” she says. In most cases, though, children — many adults, too — experience thought as Zen masters describe it: a drunken monkey swinging haphazardly in a mind-forest, from thought-branch to thought-branch and idea-tree to idea-tree. Thinking Maps, she explains, help students gain control of the process by offering them eight distinct ways to organize their inquiries — a circle map for defining in context, for example, or a bubble map for describing with adjectives, etc. Thinking Maps, she continues, introduce students to the notion of thinking about thinking —
    • Alison Ruebel
      Alison Ruebel on 27 Jul 15
       
      Yes-we do often just assume kids know how to think. Thinking maps are a great way to help kids record and organize their thoughts! 
    • kainley
      kainley on 30 Jul 15
       
      I love using graphic organizers. You are able to see what they are thinking and they can see what they are thinking drawn or written out on paper.
  • Most teachers know the classroom is the perfect place for children to play, but opportunities to provide those benefits are on the decline. Reduced recess, cuts to physical education courses and limited free time in the classroom coupled with an increasing emphasis on testing are propelling this decline all over the country.
    • Alison Ruebel
      Alison Ruebel on 27 Jul 15
       
      So true :( It's very sad to think all of the time that kids were allowed to "play" is being taken away. I fully agree younger students learn to much through play! I worked at a daycare during my college years, and was able to see how important play was to kids and how much they actually do learn. 
    • kaberding
      kaberding on 28 Jul 15
       
      I agree!  Ironically my 5th grade students did a compare and contrast paper after reading recent articles about the decline of recess and the pros and cons.  I think recess or "free play" allows for character development and social development as well; something many educators struggle to find time to incorporate anymore with the demands of the academics now of days.  
  • We will share examples of teachers using questions, display questions, and how to incorporate inquiry throughout teaching and learning no matter what grade or subject
    • kaberding
      kaberding on 28 Jul 15
       
      To me it seems reasonable to begin the year with the meaning of question and inquiry and it's importance to learning.  I think if students can connect to this (even at a young age), then their learning might make more sense to them.  They already question and are inquisitive by many things that they learn on their own, so connecting that to the learning environment might spark more interest and help them realize this type of learning is really what we do in our daily lives.  For example, I've been curious about raising some cattle, so I have been doing a lot of research about this topic.  Same idea of personal learning.  We just need to share examples of what they may have done at their level already so they don't feel so foreign to this learning style.  
    • jillnovotny
      jillnovotny on 31 Jul 15
       
      Great connection! I agree that questioning is SO important when it comes to personalized learning. There has been a lot of research about higher-level questioning and its positive impact on academics. To me, it makes a lot of sense why traditional classrooms typically use lower-level questions (Who, What, Where) and personalized/project-based/inquiry/etc. classrooms typically use higher-level questions (How, Why).
  • Start with just one lesson, Reed and Blaydes suggest, and modify it to suit your students’ needs.
    • kaberding
      kaberding on 28 Jul 15
       
      I really like how they suggest to start with one lesson.  It seems that the articles all suggest to start slow with what you have.  That makes me think that the author realizes how overwhelmed teachers are in this day.  
  • For example, common sense seems to dictate that a five-pound object dropped from a given height will fall faster than a five-ounce object dropped from the same height. A traditional teacher may tell her class that’s not true and the kids might remember the correct answer if subsequently quizzed, but in their hearts they may not believe it. If employed properly, though, Ms. Moore contends, inquiry-based instruction stands a better chance of demolishing the misconceptions — eliminating them completely — by encouraging and allowing students to discover fundamental principles on their own.
  • Next, Ms. Moore asks the students what they wonder about their specimens. At this juncture, she explains, she knows which aspects of the material the Standard Course of Study requires her to cover and admits to becoming anxious if the students do not focus on them quickly. This is when her trust in the inquiry process is tested, when she must practice patience and restraint.
  • “Everything I do should contribute to students’ success outside of class,” she says, “and it’s never too early for kids to learn how to get along in the world.”
    • jroffman
      jroffman on 29 Jul 15
       
      This is so true, I never thought about how working in groups is preparing students for real live working situations and just life in general. 
  • Marcon tracked children from preschool through the third and fourth grades and found that those with “overly academic” preschool experiences struggled in their later elementary years when they were expected to “think more independently and take on greater responsibility for their own learning process.”
    • jroffman
      jroffman on 29 Jul 15
       
      Wow!!! this makes me sick I feel that we try and play a lot in the preschool classroom but maybe we don't play enough. 
    • kainley
      kainley on 30 Jul 15
       
      This is such interesting research. When I taught preschool we were doing the creative curriculum. I got a chance to have those same students again in third grade and they love turn and talk (getting and giving ideas and answers for comprehension questions) and creating projects together because they know how to communicate with each other and learn from each other. I wish the government and adminstrators would pay attention to this research...it is so vital that children get a chance to be explorers and creators in those early years!
  • They started small, and they've grown and honed their strategies each year.
    • kainley
      kainley on 30 Jul 15
       
      I like how they started small with 5 minutes turning into five years. It showed me a way to do a model like this with fidelity. I was also able to see I am already doing some of the things listed!
  • Look, Ms. Daugherty, these dinosaurs have open mouths, and these dinosaurs have closed mouths. I can sort things!” He’s taken Daugherty’s lessons on sorting by color a step further—and he’s done it while playing.
    • nwhipple
      nwhipple on 01 Aug 15
       
      A-HA.  Play time is HUGE, yet it is being taking away and forced out of the classroom.  This is exactly what I see and hear in my kindergarten classroom during, SHORT, periods of play.  When it is "free choice" children are learning MORE than when I have them in their seats or at the carpet "preaching" and "teaching".  If they can handle the reigns with their personal learning, they feel more in control and will be more comfortable talking to an audience about what it is they want to share.
  • Blaydes recommends activities that link learning and movement. An example activity for teaching punctuation asks students to first come up with motions and sounds for punctuation marks (for instance, jumping into the air and yelling, “Yes!” for exclamation points), then act out those movements at appropriate moments during a text read-aloud. These playful activities are fun—and memorable.
    • nwhipple
      nwhipple on 01 Aug 15
       
      I LOVE this because I have taught end punctuation like this to my large and small groups.  It is funny to see everyone get excited about finding an exclamation point in a text and jumping up and acting excited.  When kids will be reading to themselves, sometimes they will jump up on their own because they have come across an exclamation point in their book.  You know you have reached them when they do it on their own!  :)  
Dennis OConnor

Education Week Teacher: High-Tech Teaching in a Low-Tech Classroom - 0 views

www.edweek.org/...barnett_hightechteaching.html

education Low-Tech 21st century skills ed-tech blended learning 21cif

shared by Dennis OConnor on 04 Sep 11 - No Cached
  • How can we best use limited resources to support learning and familiarize students with technology?
  • get creative with lesson structure
  • Take advantage of any time that your students have access to a computer lab with multiple computers.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • Relieve yourself from the pressure of knowing all the ins and outs of every tool. Instead, empower your students by challenging them to become experts who teach one another (and you!) how to use new programs.
  • "Pass it On" Buddy Method
  • Students assist one another in creating digital products that represent or reflect their new learning. It’s a great way to spread technological skills in a one-computer classroom.
  • Group Consensus Method
  • Small groups of students engage in dialogue on a particular topic, then a member uses a digital tool to report on the group's consensus.
  • Rotating Scribe Method
  • Each day, one student uses technology to record the lesson for other students.
  • Whole Class Method
  • Teachers in one-computer classrooms often invite large groups of students to gather around the computer. Here are a few suggestions for making the most of these activities
  • When we are faced with limited resources, it is tempting to throw up our hands and say, "I just don't have what I need to do this!" However, do not underestimate your ability to make it work.
  • Dennis OConnor on 04 Sep 11
     
    Might help create a blended classroom, even when you have to share the blender.  Common sense advise for the real world of underequipped classrooms and stretched thin teachers.
Jennifer Riedemann

ollie_4: Article: Attributes from Effective Formative Assessment (CCSSO) - 4 views

moodlesw.aeapdonline.org/...view.php

shared by Jennifer Riedemann on 30 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes.
    • Mary Overholtzer
      Mary Overholtzer on 30 Jan 13
       
      Has there ever been a time when teachers can't give feedback or adjust their own teaching because students refuse to do what was intended as an instructional task for learning? As an educator, I have some students who don't want to do anything, even when given a choice on how they might show their learning.
    • Lorilee Hamel
      Lorilee Hamel on 31 Jan 13
       
      Unfortunately, at least in my teaching experience, in content areas other than reading and writing, I have run into many teachers who believed in the Bell Curve still for classroom grading. Their numbers are dwindling, but they still exist along with teachers who believe, "I told them once. They should have it." I'm so glad your experiences make your question even possible. That is growth and improvement in instruction.
  • Learning goals and criteria for success should be clearly identified and communicated to students.
    • Mary Overholtzer
      Mary Overholtzer on 30 Jan 13
       
      I have found that learning goals are broader in scope since we no longer memorize, skill and drill, and have the detailed oriented mechanisms of learning in place. Maybe I am missing the boat, but I want my students to be: great speakers who project their voice(yes, I do use a decibel reader) when they are public speaking. It's a great to incorporate the science of speaking. I do want them to be great writers, and I will say a well written rubric can enhance this. I am also after great thinking and problem solving. I have found that the middle level learner can seem to problem solve in some situations, yet they have become inept at problem solving on how to "get a pencil" when they don't come to class with one in their possession. Being able to get along with many within their peer group would be great. This seems to be an ongoing battle for some individuals who "want to work" by themselves. I have had my share of accountants in my classroom.... :)
    • Jodi Leimkuehler
      Jodi Leimkuehler on 04 Feb 13
       
      Are you saying accountants are loners? They have to be able to work with clients :) (I'm a business teacher and just couldn't let this slide :)
    • Mary Overholtzer
      Mary Overholtzer on 12 Feb 13
       
      Jodi, That was a narrow view, please forgive me. I stand corrected by you....Thank you for your correction. I will say, I have students who want to work by themselves....that is great for reflection, yet collaboration is a skills that we all need to develop.
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      Mary, You are definitely not missing the boat! All those goals are excellent and very necessary for students to obtain. Do not give up on your broader learning goals and keep letting your students know that this is what you want for them. You might need a poster in your room with your broader goals stated on it as a constant reference for you and your students, and then post on your board your daily learning goals for your students. You are such a wonderful teacher and your students learn so much from you! Keep up the good work!
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      Mary, I can absolutely relate to your comment about students that want to work by themselves! Some TAG students are "past masters" of wanting to do things on their own - I live with one!! Learning to collaborate is often a very difficult task for them in middle or high school. In my own experience, this improves for these high achievers when they reach college and are able to work with others that have similar abilities.
  • Descriptive feedback should be about the particular qualities of student learning with discussion or suggestions about what the student can do to improve.
    • Mary Overholtzer
      Mary Overholtzer on 30 Jan 13
       
      I have found it interesting how the "Boy's Town" model from a long time ago....always started with a positive statement of praise and supporting details; yet if negative feedback was needed, it would weave in concern statement that didn't use words like "but or however". For example: I can appreciate how your started your paragraph with energy and great discriptive words. As you work on your thesis, you may want to keep in mind.....or have you ever thought of....? Yes, constructive feedback is an "art form" when communicating to students who think they have excellence, yet fall short....I mean way short.
    • Brooke Maine
      Brooke Maine on 02 Feb 13
       
      I have never heard of the "Boy's Town" model but I like how you wrote about giving concerns to a student without using "but" or "however'- I can see that making such a difference and being more influential and beneficial to students!
    • Sally Rigeman
      Sally Rigeman on 04 Feb 14
       
      Too often the feedback is merely "corrective" - a check mark or "ok".
  • ...43 more annotations...
  • Creating such a culture requires teachers to model
    • Mary Overholtzer
      Mary Overholtzer on 31 Jan 13
       
      This is huge, yet it is necessary.
    • Lorilee Hamel
      Lorilee Hamel on 31 Jan 13
       
      True, and it's the key to first level of helping students begin to grow!
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 31 Jan 13
       
      The atmosphere has shifted, and we now not only have 'permission' to do this, but are expected.
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      This is an absolute necessity!!!!
    • Sally Rigeman
      Sally Rigeman on 04 Feb 14
       
      Teachers need to ask more questions.
  • substantial interest in formative assessment
    • Lorilee Hamel
      Lorilee Hamel on 31 Jan 13
       
      While the language of formative and summative assessment is relatively new as well as the new emphasis on direct feedback, the fact of the matter is that writing teachers have done these things forever. We just didn't package it with a fancy name in order to make oodles of $$. Dang it! ; )
  • is to provide evidence that is used by teachers and students to inform instruction and learning during the teaching/learning process
    • Lorilee Hamel
      Lorilee Hamel on 31 Jan 13
       
      As I explain to my students, "If you can do this perfectly already, I shouldn't be teaching it."
    • Brooke Maine
      Brooke Maine on 02 Feb 13
       
      Haha, I like that Lorilee! I might have to steal it. :)
  • Learning Progressions:
  • Learning Goals and Criteria for Success
  • Descriptive Feedback:
  • Self- and Peer-Assessment:
    • Lorilee Hamel
      Lorilee Hamel on 31 Jan 13
       
      This is another area where writing teachers have a distinct advantage and have been practicing these protocols for a long time.
  • Collaboration
    • Lorilee Hamel
      Lorilee Hamel on 31 Jan 13
       
      Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop--that's the entire premise of Nancy Atwelll's work.
  • process requires the teacher to share learning goals with students
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 31 Jan 13
       
      It makes such perfect sense to be doing this, and I'm not sure how much it is actually done. Just like in our class here, we want to know what we are expected to pick up from this and appreciate having the opportunity to self-assess our learning in a format where we can get instant feedback to see if we understand.
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      Clair, To be honest, in my experience out in the schools as an AEA Literacy Consultant, it is being done very little. No matter how many times I include this in professional development trainings over things like effective instruction, iowa core, etc., there are truly only a handful of teachers that share their learning goals with the students. Many of them write the goals out in their lesson plans, but never get around to telling the people who really need the information.
  • and provide opportunities for students to monitor their ongoing progress.
  • learning progression teachers have the big picture of what students need to learn, as well as sufficient detail for planning instruction to meet short-term goals.
  • It should help the student answer three basic questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? How can I close the gap?
    • Brooke Maine
      Brooke Maine on 02 Feb 13
       
      I have done something pretty unique I think in my classroom. I (and several student volunteers) have spent a lot of time over the last couple years writing out each unit's learning objectives on posters that I laminate and hang on the wall in my classroom for every unit in every class. I made little, cute colored checkmarks that I also laminated and cut out. As we progress through the unit, I checkmark the learning objectives we have covered in class, so students can see very easily what we have done and what is left to cover. And above my posters, is another poster that says exactly what is written here: "Where amd I going? Where am I now? How can I close the gap?" I remember reading this quote during PD on FA, but now I know where it came from! :) It has taken a lot of time to make the posters and takes time to change them, put checkmarks on/off, etc, but I really like that it is a focal point in my room and is very unique. Students should know exactly what they are learning and use the questions above to self-assess as we go through our units.
    • Jodi Leimkuehler
      Jodi Leimkuehler on 05 Feb 13
       
      That is a great idea! I am curious, have you found that your students are using the posters? Are they self-assessing? Are they taking ownership in their learning?
  • A teacher needs to have modeled good feedback with students and talked about what acceptable and unacceptable comments look like in order to have created a safe learning environment
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 31 Jan 13
       
      Being able to give good constructive feedback is a skill that goes way beyond the classroom. It will serve students well later in life as they interact with co-workers, friends and eventually, their own children.
  • student- and peer-assessment should not be used in the formal grading process.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 31 Jan 13
       
      It's important to have students realize that they are not being graded on peer assessments.  It is only a benefit to give feedback about another person's assignment.  
  • teachers must provide the criteria by which learning will be assessed so that students will know whether they are successfully progressing toward the goal.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 31 Jan 13
       
      Students need to realize that they are progressing towards a goal.  If they don't see it, the quality of work usually isn't as great as when the goal is in mind.
  • self- and peer-assessment are important for providing students an opportunity to think meta-cognitively about their learning.
    • Mary Trent
      Mary Trent on 31 Jan 13
       
      I think this needs to be used more often in the classroom. I know as teachers, we find collaborating with our peers to be so valuable and I think, if done correctly, students can also gain some very helpful insight into their learning.
  • supporting students as they monitor and take responsibility for their own learning, helping students to provide constructive feedback to each other, and involving students in decisions about how to move learning forward are illustrations of students and teachers working together in the teaching and learning process.
    • Mary Trent
      Mary Trent on 31 Jan 13
       
      Amen! I think this statement is key. If students take ownership of their learning, they will become more passionate about it and ultimately want to do better for the pure knowledge and not just for a grade. Students need to feel as though they will have support through the learning process and will be able to rely on teachers and fellow students for help along their journey.
  • In peer-assessment, students analyze each others’ work using guidelines or rubrics and provide descriptive feedback that supports continued improvement.
    • Jason Martin-Hiner
      Jason Martin-Hiner on 02 Feb 13
       
      I've been trying this with lab groups in order to promote discussion both about experimental techniques as well as data analysis. After the initial work, I split groups up and have each partner discuss results with a member of another group.
    • Brooke Maine
      Brooke Maine on 02 Feb 13
       
      I like that idea Jason! When we looked at rubrics at the beginning of this class and shared a rubric we use in our teaching, the project for the rubric I shared is something I always have students self-assess and peer-assess when the projects are complete. I then give the students a few days if they wish to make any changes before they turn the project in to me for a final grade. I have definitely seen an improvement in scores and cognitive thinking when I started the self- and peer-assessment.
  • This feeling is dependent on a classroom culture characterized by a sense of trust between and among students and their teachers; by norms of respect, transparency, and appreciation of differences; and by a non-threatening environment
    • Jason Martin-Hiner
      Jason Martin-Hiner on 02 Feb 13
       
      All of these aspects are highlighed in the Characteristics of Effective Instruction in the Iowa Core.
  • during recent years
    • Brooke Maine
      Brooke Maine on 02 Feb 13
       
      I personally have learned a ton of information about FA the last several years. I took a class on it for my master's degree about 4 years ago or so and that next school year, it was the focus of PD in our district and is always something we revisit. I wish I would have learned more about it in college before I started teaching! But I'm glad to have the knowledge now.
  • Learning progressions describe how concepts and skills build in a domain, and show the trajectory of learning along which students are expected to progress.
    • Mike Todd
      Mike Todd on 03 Feb 13
       
      I  know that in science, organizations like AAAS have worked hard to develop these progressions for many topics and created resources (Benchmarks, ATLAS, etc.).  But for some topics these need to be developed by the teacher.  And even with the AAAS resources, developing these learning progressions into a course that helps students connect everything together is the job of the teacher.  Collaborating on these tasks with other teachers is extremely worthwhile - I just wish this was valued by more school districts and administrators by allowing more time for these things during the school day.  Many seem to think that "courses" are already planned out.  I even had one superintendent that told me "Any minute not spent with students is a waste of time for teachers" - she was obviously lacking in knowledge about what professional teachers do with their time.
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      Good grief! I'm glad the state government is now stepping in to require schools to allow teacher collaboration. The only problem is the state's requirements are vastly lower than what should be and needs to be provided to teachers so that real collaboration on student progress and course development can happen.
  • The opening paragraph does not capture the audience’s attention because it does not clearly state what the speech is about. However, the opening sentence of the second paragraph states your position with an effective contrast. What can you do to improve or strengthen your opening paragraph?
    • Mike Todd
      Mike Todd on 03 Feb 13
       
      I have often focussed on putting feedback on writing, similar to the last question, but have failed to include the preceding sentence - I agree that both are important.
  • Effective formative assessment involves collecting evidence about how student learning is progressing during the course of instruction so that necessary instructional adjustments can be made to close the gap between students’ current understanding and the desired goals.
    • Pam Rust
      Pam Rust on 04 Feb 13
       
      This says it all. How many times do teachers check for understanding along the way and then just keep rolling through the lesson, ignoring the fact that some kids are missing something. Does no good to check for understanding as you go if you do nothing when the data says not everyone gets it yet.
    • Jodi Leimkuehler
      Jodi Leimkuehler on 04 Feb 13
       
      Why do so many teachers assign a grade to formative assessments when, according to this, it is to collect evidence on how student learning is progressing towards the desired goal?
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      I have no idea Jodi, but I support a number of schools that firmly believe if they do not give something a grade then there is no use in doing it with the students. This statement is so perfect as to the purpose of formative assessment yet I would say the majority of teachers in the schools I come in contact with give a quiz, complain that the kids don't get it - as though it's all the kid's fault, and move right on with the content. It's frustrating!!
    • Dan Jones
      Dan Jones on 05 Feb 14
       
      On the student side of Jodi's argument, many students do not see the importance of something if they are not getting a grade. Just yesterday, a couple of my students were complaining about something they had to do and they, "weren't even getting a grade on it so why bother". I agree with the statement that we need to see where they are, a lot of teachers just keep plowing through even though the infromation they get back indicates that a lot of students aren't getting it. It isn't helping the kid's perspective if they fail quizzes along the way and then fail a test.
  • Because the formative assessment process helps students achieve intended learning outcomes based on explicit learning progressions, teachers must first identify and then communicate the instructional goal to students.
    • Pam Rust
      Pam Rust on 04 Feb 13
       
      Over the past few years we have worked on this during our PD. Goals are written on our boards and we refer to them often.
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      Excellent! I am so glad to hear that at least one school is following through on this!
    • Jodi Leimkuehler
      Jodi Leimkuehler on 04 Feb 13
       
      Love all the acronyms in the opening three paragraphs :)
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      Education is truly becoming an "alphabet soup"!
  • a process rather than a particular kind of assessment
    • Jodi Leimkuehler
      Jodi Leimkuehler on 04 Feb 13
       
      I know a few teachers that automatically equate formative assessment with quiz or test.
  • language readily understood by students
    • Jodi Leimkuehler
      Jodi Leimkuehler on 05 Feb 13
       
      "I can" statements
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      Yes! It's a waste of time if students do not understand the learning goal!
  • ormative assessment
    • Holly Palmersheim
      Holly Palmersheim on 08 Feb 13
       
      It seems that there has been all this buzz about formative assessment like it is a new thing. For ever teachers have been using formative assessment to guide instruction on a daily basis. I appreciate that is has gotten attention so that teachers can collaborate to build assessments together and analyze data.
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      Holly, I am an AEA Literacy Consultant and you have no idea the number of times over the past 6 -8 years that I have found teachers who have absolutely no idea what the difference is between formative and summative assessments or how to conduct them in the classroom. In fact, the majority of teachers, even after training, want to be able to attach a grade to all formative assessment. They do not understand that this type of assessment can be accomplished in ways that do not involve a piece of paper, a homework assignment, or a pop quiz. It is truly an ongoing battle in a number of schools.
  • Formative assessment is not an adjunct to teaching but, rather, integrated into instruction and learning with teachers and students receiving frequent feedback.
    • Holly Palmersheim
      Holly Palmersheim on 08 Feb 13
       
      Helping educators integrate the formative assessment process is key to helping them be successful. They can't see it as one more thing to do.
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      I agree completely, if only I could get teachers to understand this fact! They see it as "one more thing I "gotta" do" rather than a way to see if their students are really understanding the material.
    • Sally Rigeman
      Sally Rigeman on 04 Feb 14
       
      Feedback to the student in terms of what they need to do differently is the most frequently ignored part of the process.
  • evidence-based feedback
    • Holly Palmersheim
      Holly Palmersheim on 08 Feb 13
       
      The Iowa Core aides the process of giving feedback as it provides specific student targets.
  • timely feedback should be based on the learning goal and criteria for success.
  • the reason the steps were incorrect.
    • Andrea Compton
      Andrea Compton on 12 Feb 13
       
      This is not a process that happens quickly. It takes lots and lots of good modeling by the instructor to create an environment safe enough for students to feel comfortable receiving as well as accepting good feedback.
  • students and their peers are involved there are many more opportunities to share and receive feedback
    • Sally Rigeman
      Sally Rigeman on 04 Feb 14
       
      This type of feedback is especially useful in improving project-based or performance tasks.
  • may be accompanied by realistic examples of those that meet and do not meet the criteria
    • kellie kendrick
      kellie kendrick on 05 Feb 14
       
      I used to be hesitant about showing my students examples because I didn't want to limit their creativity. Once I started showing them, however, I saw that more students understood how to demonstrate their knowledge of the goals set out, and the end products were much more high quality. I first only did this with big projects, but have slowly begun showing students more high and low quality examples for smaller projects too.
  • In addition, students can be encouraged to be self-reflective by thinking about their own work based on what they learned from giving feedback to others
    • kellie kendrick
      kellie kendrick on 05 Feb 14
       
      Self and peer reflection is something that I still struggle with. I have my students in Spanish III and IV often perform peer reflections with the writings that they do, but they still do not always take it seriously. I have tried to tell them that they should work hard to improve someone else's paper because they want their peers to help improve their own papers. As for self reflection, I am still working with my students to see the value in their own thinking.
  • Sharing learning goals and criteria for success with student
  • Instead, there are a number of formative assessment strategies that can be implemented during classroom instruction.
    • Dan Jones
      Dan Jones on 05 Feb 14
       
      This is where teachers get to use their covert,'sneaky' skills. They have to figure out how to get the information necessary to assess where the students are while appearing to go about their usual daily business. You have to be able to track that info too, which can be hard if you are collecting data on the sly.
  • students must be actively involved
    • Jamie Van Horn
      Jamie Van Horn on 09 Feb 14
       
      This can be a big challenge for teachers when parents are not involved in their students' learning and/or students do not put forth the effort. Sadly, this is very common.
  • “just right gap”
    • Jamie Van Horn
      Jamie Van Horn on 09 Feb 14
       
      The problem here is that the students in one class are not all at the same growth point and with growing class sizes, it can be difficult for the teachers to adjust to all students at the same time. Usually the advanced students will push themselves, but what about the lower students that need more time? With so much required of the teachers, they feel the pressure to move on so they can cover all of their units even when some students have not achieved the short term goals. This can lead to even bigger problems down the road.
  • allow the student an opportunity to identify ways to move learning forward
    • Jamie Van Horn
      Jamie Van Horn on 09 Feb 14
       
      So important to allow the student to identify the ways to move forward instead of just telling them what to do. This is where true learning takes place.
  • FAST SCASS and FA Advisory Group
A Hughes

elearnspace › learning, networks, knowledge, technology, community - 0 views

www.elearnspace.org/blog

education blog elearning web2.0 technology e-learning learning edtech moodle_iowa

shared by A Hughes on 02 Dec 11 - Cached
  • The open access debate Wednesday, October 19, 2011 At the EDUCAUSE 2011 conference today, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Hal Abelson – founding director of Free Software Foundation and Creative Commons. He presented on the state of openness in education. While on the surface openness is gaining traction through scholarship and publication, content providers and journal publishers are starting to push back. During the talk, he used the image below (from this article – .pdf) to argue that journal publishers have a monopoly. The surface progress of openness belies a deeper, more dramatic period of conflict around openness that is only now beginning.
    • A Hughes
      A Hughes on 02 Dec 11
       
      As a librarian, I am very interested in the topic of open access. The image of the commercial Journal Publishers is very revealing. I did not realize that Elsevier owned so much of the academic content. I would like to know what other information I can find by Hal Abelson.
Evan Abbey

ollie4_1: Building a Better Mousetrap - 0 views

moodle.aeapdonline.org/...view.php

shared by Evan Abbey on 18 Jun 12 - No Cached
    • Kay Durfey
      Kay Durfey on 18 Jun 12
       
      The idea that the rubric is genuinely "assessing what students have actually learned rather than what they have been taught" is certain what all educators and trainer (for work environments) are aiming for.
    • Heather Whitman
      Heather Whitman on 18 Jun 12
       
      You nailed it Kay. A teacher must use this to help them teach, not just give the grade.
    • Kay Durfey
      Kay Durfey on 18 Jun 12
       
      If rubrics were designed and implemented correctly students and teacher could see where the thinking of the student was on target and where they went wrong.
    • Heather Whitman
      Heather Whitman on 18 Jun 12
       
      I think if the rubric is "good" (that is a hard word to use but pretend it fits well), then you can have students assess themselves and together with the teacher 4 or 5 times in the writing process on certain aspects of the rubric to help with the writing process. The piece I wish I would have implemented more (and can but a little tricky as the teacher librarian) was to have families assess with the student as well and to ask a family or 2 BEFORE beginning if they understand what the big assignment & rubric is about and to assess whether the rubric means what it should from their perspectives. If they don't get it, redo it!
    • Aaron Evans
      Aaron Evans on 18 Jun 12
       
      Rubrics are a great tool to build self-assessment skills in all subjects. Two years ago I led my department in an effort to create a self-assessment startegy that builds the abiltity of students to self-assess their learning in math class. Part of this was creating a rubric that measures their progress from 6 to 12 grade. Now we have to go back and refine the rubric, because it is defintiely not to the "good" stage yet.
    • Heather Whitman
      Heather Whitman on 20 Jun 12
       
      I think it is good for students to be involved. They see that teachers change as well and aren't always right about everything.
  • Moreover, rubrics can help the student with self-assessment; what is most important here is not the final product the students produce, but the habits of mind practiced in the act of self-assessment. However, for the student to successfully use a rubric this way, the criteria must be made clear to them and the jargon used must not only be understandable to the student but also be linked specifically to classroom instruction.
    • Lisa Jacobs
      Lisa Jacobs on 25 Jun 12
       
      I think the most important use of a rubric is to communicate "quality" work and expectations to students.
    • Lisa Jacobs
      Lisa Jacobs on 25 Jun 12
       
      Using the rubric to self evaluate their own work.
  • ...23 more annotations...
  • Moreover, some teachers have noticed how students who were good writers become wooden when writing under the influence of a rubric. Dona Patrick, an elementary school teacher noticed that while her sixth grade students did well on their state writing test, those students who had been natural writers, those students who had “stylistic voices full of humor and surprises, produced less interesting essays when they followed the rules [as outlined in a rubric]” (Mathews).
    • Kay Durfey
      Kay Durfey on 18 Jun 12
       
      I think that writing with a rubric only becomes "wooden" if teachers present the idea and implementation of rubrics as a formula rather than a "guideline or set of criteria" that have been noted in effective writing.
    • Aaron Evans
      Aaron Evans on 18 Jun 12
       
      I think that the inclusion of minmum numbers of references/usages is the leading cause of this. If you give a student a minimum, it becomes the target and all they care about. Just tell them you will look for something done well and you get better and more natural results.
    • jquandahl
      jquandahl on 20 Jun 12
       
      Something else that might help to keep students' writing from becoming "wooden" would be to have examples of great writing and discuss how those pieces meet the guidelines of the rubric. I think this shows studnets that they can continue to use their own style when writing - as long as they also pay attention to the expectations of the assignment
  • Rubrics can be designed to measure either product or process or both; and, they can be designed with dimensions describing the different levels of that “deep learning” so valued in WAC programs.
    • Kay Durfey
      Kay Durfey on 18 Jun 12
       
      I absolutely agree that rubrics can assess more than a product; it can and should assess the process or "thinking process."
  • cross the board; meanwhile, the teacher that uses specific rubrics is always composing new descriptions of quality work, but their students have cle
  • Consequentially, when rubrics are published in the classroom, students striving to achieve the descriptions at the higher end of the scale in effect guide their own learning. We must keep in mind, however, that other aspects of good pedagogical practice play into student success: rubrics that are outside of the students “zone of proximal development” are useless to the students.
    • Kay Durfey
      Kay Durfey on 18 Jun 12
       
      Interesting.
  • Usually a numerical value is assigned to each point on a scale. You can weight dimensions differently if you feel that one dimension is more important than another. There are two ways in which you can express this value judgment: 1. You may give a dimension more weight by multiplying the point by a number greater than one. For example, if you have four dimensions (content, organization, support, conventions) each rated on a six-point scale, and you wish to emphasis the importance of adequate support, you could multiply the support score by two. 2. You may devise scales of unequal length, which would mean that the shorter scales would count less than the longer ones. For example, organization, support, and content could each be rated on separate 6 point scales, while punctuation and / or spelling could be rated on separate 3 point scales. A paper that was well organized and punctuated would yield 6 for organization and 3 for punctuation. A paper that was perfectly punctuated but poorly organized might yield a 3-3 score.
    • Kay Durfey
      Kay Durfey on 18 Jun 12
       
      This paragraph about weighting certain  parts of the rubric goes directly to what our group was discussing last week regarding our rubric we were creating. This is a kind of how-to.
    • A Hughes
      A Hughes on 20 Jun 12
       
      Yes, this explains how a multiplier can be used to show some criteria weighted. I would like to see examples of rubrics using weights.
    • jquandahl
      jquandahl on 20 Jun 12
       
      This is nice explanation of how to assign different weights. When we were discussing it lsat week, I think I was making the process more difficult in my own head! I would also like to see examples. I think that weighting dimensions of n ssignment differently can be very helpful in focusing on the most important aspects of an assignment.
    • Bob Pauk
      Bob Pauk on 22 Jun 12
       
      I agree that this weighting could help to fix one of the possible problems with rubrics. When you give the same points for various categories sometimes you are giving an easy way to get a grade without always doing the most important part of the learning.
  • Or you can build your own rubric from scratch—convert existing revision or discovery heuristics into rubrics; convert comments that used to show up on A, B, C, D, and F papers into descriptive phrases, or start completely anew. The Chicago Public Schools web-site offers simple guidelines to follow when designing your own rubric. If you visit the web page I cut and pasted this from, you will find that each item is hyperlinked to a full explanation of the step.
    • Kay Durfey
      Kay Durfey on 18 Jun 12
       
      Creating own rubric can  be very effective but also time consuming.
    • jquandahl
      jquandahl on 20 Jun 12
       
      Creating rubrics with the help of students is something that I found very effective when I was in the classroom. Studnets had more ownership of the work and a very clear understanding of expectations when they were part of the process of creating the rubric.
  • Clearly defining the purpose of assessment and what you want to assess is the first step in developing a quality rubric. The second step is deciding who your audience is going to be. If the rubric is primarily used for instruction and will be shared with your students, then it should be non-judgemental, free of educational jargon, and reflect the critical vocabulary that you use in your classroom.
  • well-designed rubrics help instructors in all disciplines meaningfully assess the outcomes of the more complicated assignments that are the basis of the problem-solving, inquiry-based, student-centered pedagogy replacing the traditional lecture-based, teacher-centered approach in tertiary education.
    • Aaron Evans
      Aaron Evans on 18 Jun 12
       
      This is really where the Iowa/Common Core is taking us. How many teachers are going to be prepared with ways to measure how their students are progressing in problem solving before the students are being assessed with the new assessments? Since the new state assessments are supposed to emphasize these skills more, will more teachers need to use rubrics to meaure these skills rather than just thinking that rubrics are for judging the quality of writing or projects?
  • they should articulate the vital features that they are looking for and make these features known to the student
    • keri bass
      keri bass on 23 Jun 12
       
      I think the key here is whether or not the rubric is written in a way that is user friendly. Sometimes, they get so specific that they are too long and the reader stops reading. I would think this would be a problem with kids in particular.
  • The result is many students struggle blindly, especially non-traditional, unsuccessful, or under-prepared students, who tend to miss many of the implied expectations of a college instructor, expectations that better prepared, traditional students readily internalize.
    • Aaron Evans
      Aaron Evans on 18 Jun 12
       
      This is true at all levels of education, not just high school. How often had you had a student who was struggling on an assessment and after having the expectations explained to them in a different way completed it easily?
    • keri bass
      keri bass on 23 Jun 12
       
      Absolutely, it is frustrating as a teacher for students to struggle with understanding an assignment and not perform well because of lack of understanding the directions and not the information. I find that in an online environment, this can be even more problematic.  Directions and rubrics that I feel are clearly written, are easily misunderstood by others, and people who would have gleaned understanding from questions others asked in class, feel silly asking questions themselves.
  • rubrics, in effect, dehumanize the act of writing. According to Thomas Newkirk, an English professor at the University of New Hampshire, “rubrics promote ‘mechanical instruction in writing’ that bypasses ‘the human act of composing and the human gesture of response’” (Mathews).
    • Aaron Evans
      Aaron Evans on 18 Jun 12
       
      How do computerized essay graders fit into this? This would seem to be a direct attack on their use.
  • if we have assigned ourselves the task of getting a good rubric to use, we need a rubric to judge our performance—that is, we need a meta-rubric to assess our rubric.
    • Aaron Evans
      Aaron Evans on 18 Jun 12
       
      Hadn't thought abou tthis but it totally makes sense. We already do this reflection, as was evidenced by our rubric activity last week, but having the rubric to frame our thoughts makes the process much more efficienct.
    • jquandahl
      jquandahl on 20 Jun 12
       
      interesting point
  • When instructors do not explicitly delineate the qualities of thought that they are looking for while grading, they reduce learning to a hit or miss endeavor, where “assessment remains an isolated […] activity and the success of the learner is mostly incidental” (Montgomery).
  • When instructors do not explicitly delineate the qualities of thought that they are looking for while grading, they reduce learning to a hit or miss endeavor, where “assessment remains an isolated […] activity and the success of the learner is mostly incidental” (Montgomery).
  • When instructors do not explicitly delineate the qualities of thought that they are looking for while grading, they reduce learning to a hit or miss endeavor, where “assessment remains an isolated […] activity and the success of the learner is mostly incidental” (Montgomery). T
  • Moreover, some teachers have noticed how students who were good writers become wooden when writing under the influence of a rubric.
  • A rubric with two or more separate scales is called an analytical rubric, as it takes apart or breaks up the rating system for each trait; a rubric that uses only a single scale is called a holistic rubric. A holistic rubric is more efficient and the best choice when criteria overlap and cannot be adequately separated; an analytical rubric, however, will yield more detailed information about student performance and, therefore, will provide the student with more specific feedback.
  • A rubric with two or more separate scales is called an analytical rubric, as it takes apart or breaks up the rating system for each trait; a rubric that uses only a single scale is called a holistic rubric. A holistic rubric is more efficient and the best choice when criteria overlap and cannot be adequately separated; an analytical rubric, however, will yield more detailed information about student performance and, therefore, will provide the student with more specific feedback.
  • The issue of weighting may be another area in which you can enlist the help of students. At the beginning of the process, you could ask a student to select to select which aspect she values the most in her writing and weight that aspect when you assess her paper.
    • Heather Whitman
      Heather Whitman on 19 Jun 12
       
      I kept this private: oops: I am always amazed how students self-assess themselves. I was a language arts teachers and did a lot of writing. When I ask students today or in the past, how they think they did, I was floored how some of the writings/projects I thought were great, assessed themselves negatively, and the ones I thought needed more work, gave/give themselves exceeds. It takes a lot of good modeling and scaffolding for students to fairly assess themselves. For the ones that big time missed the assignment goals and self-assess themselves well, it really goes back to the teacher going back and reteaching again to help improve learning.
    • Heather Whitman
      Heather Whitman on 19 Jun 12
       
      Oops- I kept this private. How many teachers did I have that graded in red? I remember many especially in math and writing all over writing assignments. I used to think that the assignment was complete, it was time to move on, and I just had to accept what they said. Rubrics do give the student a voice when they self assess. I find it interesting it is rooted in the word red or reddish.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 28 Jun 12
       
      These are good questions... red is a color we have pre-conceptions about.
  • While many educators make a compelling argument for sharing rubrics with students, others worry that doing so will encourage formulaic writing. That “rubric” is listed in most thesauruses as a synonym for “formula” does nothing to dismantle such fears. Well-designed rubrics, though, should not do this; unfortunately, most state issued rubrics used in secondary school standardized testing are poorly designed rubrics that list specific static elements encouraging students to simply make sure their essays have those features.
    • A Hughes
      A Hughes on 20 Jun 12
       
      The english teachers who attend Iowa Writing Project professional development are discouraged from using rubrics because of formulaic writing in students. These teachers are encouraged to only score a couple of criteria on each assignment instead of trying to "fix" all of the writing and discouraging students.
    • Heather Whitman
      Heather Whitman on 20 Jun 12
       
      I tok the Eastern Iowa Writing Project 8 years ago. Even when I taught, I told the kids, that I would give anything to not have to give them an actual grade. I followed the ideas and allowed them to write whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. I saw huge growth in their writing, but I know I did poorly "grading" them. I told them over and over to focus on writing process, trying to improve themselves, and comments I gave to help them improve.
    • Bob Pauk
      Bob Pauk on 22 Jun 12
       
      This is my biggest concern with rubrics. I am glad to see it articulated because I have been a little reluctant to share this because rubrics are so popular lately that it seems like I am being negative if I don't care for them. In my highest level projects, I expect students to "wow" me to get an A. It is hard to do that if you are simply following a formula.
    • Lisa Jacobs
      Lisa Jacobs on 25 Jun 12
       
      Yes, rubrics can limit creativity. We re-learned this with our Ollie group rubric assignment this week with the powerpoint and audio files that did not match the "written" rubric my group designed.
  • To begin with, rubrics can be either “general” or “specific.”
    • Lisa Jacobs
      Lisa Jacobs on 25 Jun 12
       
      This whole section reminded me of the Iowa ICAM assessments. I spent many years leading the scoring sessions for the ICAM reading and math assessment scoring sessions. The training was very intense with both general and specific rubrics for each item.
  • anonymous on 19 Jun 12
     
    I was in a class today sponsored by Intel. We discussed Habits of the Mind and how powerful it is for kids to self-assess their work & their learning.
  • ...3 more comments...
  • anonymous on 19 Jun 12
     
    This makes assessing sound like a game between teachers and students. Kids are lucky if they guess what teachers are assessing.
  • anonymous on 19 Jun 12
     
    Do kids become so engaged in meeting the requirements of the rubric that they aren't as fluent in their writing?
  • anonymous on 19 Jun 12
     
    I wasn't aware that rubrics were grouped into holistic and analytic. After reading the descriptions, I'm not sure that I've ever used a holistic rubric.
  • anonymous on 19 Jun 12
     
    The idea of having kids help create rubrics seems to be recurring.
  • anonymous on 19 Jun 12
     
    I usually get the best feedback from kids about various rubrics that I use. It helps me tweak it for the next time.
Barbara Day

Education Week Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook: Writing Re-Launched: Teachi... - 1 views

www.edweek.org/...02digital.h04.html

writing digital moodle_iowa

shared by Barbara Day on 01 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • Another distinction between the two types of writing is that while traditional writing formats, such as journaling, are frequently used for private reflection, digital writing is almost always meant for an audience.
    • Ginny Kraus
      Ginny Kraus on 01 Jul 11
       
      I agree that personal writings are more often found in journaling and by hand while digital writing (wikis, blogs, communications) is for an audience - to be published for others to see.
    • Barbara Day
      Barbara Day on 18 May 14
       
      I like the terminology, digital writing, technology based visual aid.  Wordle or Tagxedo would be good to include in Moodle.
  • Tech-savvy teachers tend to agree that digital writing differs from conventional composition in ways that can spur student engagement and creativity.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • By design, pen-and-paper composition is a one-person undertaking. But digital writing is often collaborative.
  • they can create a text jointly, through shared documents or wikis, or they can take turns posting on a collective blog.
  • Of the many digital tools Malley uses, Google Docs has been one of the most transformational, he says. Google Docs stores documents on the Web, so they are accessible from anywhere, and allows users to share their work with others—making it easy to edit or co-author a piece.
  • Although digital and traditional writing diverge in some ways, their roots are very much alike.
  • Solid conventional writing skills are the basis for making short films as well,
  • The caveat to using digital tools, many tech-savvy educators note, is to keep focused on instructional goals, and not use technology simply for technology’s sake.
    • Barbara Day
      Barbara Day on 18 May 14
       
      Identify which objectives or Common Core Standards you are meeting. If you can't, then you need to rethink the use of this tool.
  • Outside of their classes, students most often encounter digital writing—that is, writing created or read on a computer or other Internet-connected device, as defined in Because Digital Writing Matters, the book Eidman-Aadahl co-authored. While digital writing melds visual, audio, and text, “so much of school writing is consciously in the other direction,” says Eidman-Aadahl.
  • digital writing skills are critical to “college and career readiness.” Digital writing assignments “match the real world” and give students experience composing “in a form people will actually read,” she says.
  • as part of their oral presentations, students were required to include a technology-based visual aid, such as an interactive poster made through Glogster or a word cloud created with Wordle.
  • Ginny Kraus on 01 Jul 11
     
    Article about using technology for teaching writing in schools.
joyisuful

Articles: Design - 12 views

moodlesw.aeapdonline.org/...view.php

shared by joyisuful on 15 Jul 14 - No Cached
  • The best slides may have no text at all.
    • mnollsch
      mnollsch on 15 Jul 14
       
      NO words at all will challenge me since I am so verbal.  But I can see the value in it.
    • kbelland21
      kbelland21 on 16 Jul 14
       
      I agree. I thought this point was interesting. I never thought of not having any text on a slide.
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 14
       
      No words?! This is good though, I have often thought how I can encourage my to take notes and I hate giving out my presentations.  This will do it!  
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 20 Jul 14
       
      No words is definitely outside of the box type thinking. It also requires you to have a great interplay with your visuals.
    • fshellabarger
      fshellabarger on 22 Jul 14
       
      I LOVE this! It would be great for setting a stage for a story with a single image. No words needed! If there's no text, your audience can really listen to your words while taking in the image instead of trying to read and listen.
    • tjbudd
      tjbudd on 22 Jul 14
       
      I'm lucky enough to have access to good images (photography is a family hobby) and access to photoshop. This is much tougher without the right tools.
    • nettiemarie
      nettiemarie on 03 Aug 14
       
      this is challenging but an interesting thought... would work for a dramatic statement
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 04 Aug 14
       
      I am very verbal, also, but also put a great deal on slides. This is going to be a good challenge for me!
  • But if they are good slides, they will be of little use without you. Instead of a copy of your PowerPoint slides, it is far better to prepare a written document which highlights your content from the presentation and expands on that content.
    • mnollsch
      mnollsch on 15 Jul 14
       
      This reinforces my thinking to go back to providing a notes page and then editing my powerpoints to make them simpler.
    • mnollsch
      mnollsch on 15 Jul 14
       
      These slides are helpful examples
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 12 Aug 14
       
      I always thought "good" slides had good content. It makes sense that you should put little on the slides and then talk about the content, rather than load the slide with info.
  • ...59 more annotations...
  • try to highlight the main point of each bullet point. Try to bold only the key parts of each point — limit it to as few words as possible.
    • mnollsch
      mnollsch on 15 Jul 14
       
      Good tip.  I found in looking at many of my presentations I had already highlighted key words.  So why did I add all the other text?
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 14
       
      This is a helpful idea, I have never thought to do this before.
    • we4nails
      we4nails on 20 Jul 14
       
      I agree - this is a really logical way to pair down my wordy slides without loosing important content. It also encourages note taking in the right way for students.
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 12 Aug 14
       
      Occasionally, I have highlighted text on a slide, but I thought I was only putting relevant information on the slide with lots of bullets. Ugh. I could have probably gotten by (I now know I could have) with only putting the hightlighted word and another word or two on the slide, instead.
    • mnollsch
      mnollsch on 15 Jul 14
       
      So much about PP I don't know how to do! I think it's time to take an advance PP class.
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 12 Aug 14
       
      I have realized the same. I thought I knew PP pretty well, but starting to work on these new slides (and all the new information) has almost blown me away! I have a friend who just aced a college PP class - I am hoping she can help me work through some of the "new" stuff to me. I don't want PP to be too time comsuming, but I want them to be effective.
  • I often use images of people in my slides, as photography of people tends to help the audience connect with the slide on a more emotional level.
    • kbelland21
      kbelland21 on 16 Jul 14
       
      Makes sense when trying to tell a story and connect with the audience on an emotional level.
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 12 Aug 14
       
      I definitely need to switch over to photography. I tend to use cutesy images. Not really sure why other than I like them. Using photos would bring a point home now if the right image is used.
  • People should be able to comprehend each one in about three seconds.
    • kbelland21
      kbelland21 on 16 Jul 14
       
      Good rule of thumb.
    • Patty Harrell
      Patty Harrell on 17 Jul 14
       
      3 seconds - will be a challenge.I will really have to try to think about  the audience and what might attract their attention..
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 20 Jul 14
       
      If it takes longer, then I think a presenter should be quiet and give them time. It isn't that we can't give some silent time to read... it is just that we don't like to, I think.
    • david moeller
      david moeller on 21 Jul 14
       
      Three seconds seems like a good time to transition anyway. 3 seconds of quite between slides, audience gets the glance and then the presenter talks...
    • tjbudd
      tjbudd on 22 Jul 14
       
      I struggle with this when I present charts and graphs. The takeaway is to simplify the graph or chart to highlight what I'm trying to say.
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 12 Aug 14
       
      We shouldn't need the time to read with only a few words on the slide. I like to give that "wait time" AFTER I have spoken. Still work work the same way - giving the audience time to comprehend.
  • Remember the golden rule of PowerPoint presentations — always do what is right for your audience.
    • kbelland21
      kbelland21 on 16 Jul 14
       
      When creating and preparing for a presentation, it is important to put yourself in the position of the audience.
  • It’s okay to cover details verbally that are not reflected in your bullet points.
    • kbelland21
      kbelland21 on 16 Jul 14
       
      I am guilty of including a lot of information on presentations. I need to remember that I can include information that is not a bullet point.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 20 Jul 14
       
      This is a pretty straightforward example of this process. It really isn't too hard once it is laid out like this, but it isn't a natural step for me either.
  • convert each bullet point into a separate image
    • kbelland21
      kbelland21 on 16 Jul 14
       
      Great idea if it is possible with the slide content.
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 05 Aug 14
       
      In my opinion, the slide would get too cluttered and distracting to do this.
  • Think of your slides as billboards. When people drive, they only briefly take their eyes off their main focus — the road — to process billboard information
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 14
       
      This is a good correlation and great tip.  
    • we4nails
      we4nails on 20 Jul 14
       
      I agree, this is one of my favorite tips so far, it made me rethink a couple of my slides!
  • So when adding elements to your slides, have a good reason: Does the audience need to see your logo on each slide to remember who you work for? Does that blue swoosh add meaning? If not, leave it off
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 14
       
      This is good information and should be done during the 'analog' stage.
    • tjbudd
      tjbudd on 22 Jul 14
       
      This one is tough because some companies demand the logo be placed on slides.
  • If they fall below 24 pt then you might be on to something. Also, look at the number of lines you use for your bullet points. If you use more than two lines anywhere, then they’re definitely leaning text heavy.
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 14
       
      Good guideline for checking up on myself.
  • Nothing in your slide should be superfluous, ever.
  • Follow these steps to reduce and simplify your text-heavy bullet points
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 14
       
      I like the steps used in this process.  I think the most challenging part of designing presentations is figuring out what is most important.  This seems so helpful in making those decisions.  
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 12 Aug 14
       
      The most challenging part of design would be figuring out what to use to engage the audience (ie photograph). If we have the end design in mind, and know what our main points are, the text should be easily simplified.
    • Patty Harrell
      Patty Harrell on 17 Jul 14
       
      Not sure how I will manage to leave superfluous behind. I'm so used to looking for ways to incorporate it. I do agree  it would improve presentation when I think about what I like to see when I am listening to a presentation. 
  • Instead of a copy of your PowerPoint slides, it is far better to prepare a written document which highlights your content from the presentation and expands on that content.
    • Patty Harrell
      Patty Harrell on 17 Jul 14
       
      YIKES! both of these look impossible! I have listened to presentations like this and the presenter doesn't always read them and I can't see them well enough to read-it's very frustrating. Eye chart is exactly what I think of.
  • Use high-quality graphics including photographs.
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 14
       
      Coming from an art teacher, this is GREAT advice!
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 20 Jul 14
       
      Even coming from a very non-artistic person... this is GREAT advice! I couldn't make art when I try, but I can make crap... which means I know crappy visuals when I see them :)
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 05 Aug 14
       
      This IS great advice, but...I will miss the cutesy graphics. (Just kidding.) Looking for the higher quality graphics that are appropriate is going to take some time.
  • “Wipe Left-to-Right” (from the “Animations” menu) is good for a bullet point
  • The right color can help persuade and motivate.
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 05 Aug 14
       
      I never really thought about this before for a presention. However, I know when I dress for certain events, I look for outfits of a certain color so it only makes sense that this would be even more appropriate for presentations!
  • color usage can increase interest and improve learning comprehension and retention.
  • Cool colors work best for backgrounds
  • Warm colors generally work best for objects in the foreground (
  • white background with black or dark text works much better.
  • San-serif fonts are generally best for PowerPoint presentations,
  • video clips to show concrete examples promotes active cognitive processing, which is the natural way people learn.
  • people comprehend better when information is presented in small chunks or segments.
  • Spend time in the slide sorter
    • Patty Harrell
      Patty Harrell on 17 Jul 14
       
      There is a first time for everything. I have not ever done this, but it makes good sense, so I will start using it.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 20 Jul 14
       
      I think this is true for many people. Power Point used to not let you re-arrange slides from the normal view (via that sidebar). You had to go to this view to re-arrange things. Then it got easier to use. The slide sorter is a tool that encourages a creative look at the big picture of one's presentation
  • extras actually take away meaning
    • Patty Harrell
      Patty Harrell on 17 Jul 14
       
      I want their attention to be focused and not distraccted by "extras" I better remember this.
  • including a healthy amount of white space sharpens viewers’ focus
    • tjbudd
      tjbudd on 22 Jul 14
       
      Good point. Leaving white space seems like wasting valuable real estate for presenting our message but in reality, the white space makes understanding our message easier.
  • This is all too common.
    • Patty Harrell
      Patty Harrell on 17 Jul 14
       
      Another thing I am guilty of although I usually just don't use these, but I'm not sure how to do this correctly. 
    • tjbudd
      tjbudd on 22 Jul 14
       
      I see this very commonly. Presenters don't take the time to find quality images. They google a topic and pull very low resolution photos to include in their presentation. The resolution is fine for a website but grainy when displayed large.
  • what's your intention?
    • Patty Harrell
      Patty Harrell on 17 Jul 14
       
      Why am I using this image? If I can't answer that clearly-I need to pick another.
  • Your slides should have plenty of “white space” or “negative space.”
    • we4nails
      we4nails on 20 Jul 14
       
      I teach students about the parallel of white space with rests in music, I never thought about how that should be used in presentations before!
  • Best if you limit the bars to 4-8.
    • we4nails
      we4nails on 20 Jul 14
       
      This is helpful to me, as I like to use charts, but have a hard time determining where to stop with information - balancing the need to know with the why do I care.
  • You can achieve this through consistent type styles, color, image treatment, and element placement throughout the slide deck
    • we4nails
      we4nails on 20 Jul 14
       
      Again, I like the idea of consistency without the use of the templates. We are often drawn to the templates because they are consistent, but there are so many other ways to create the same effect.
  • relevant
    • we4nails
      we4nails on 20 Jul 14
       
      I need to remember that this means relevant to the AUDIENCE!
  • Now the software background template can be seen just enough to become a bit of noise
  • Have a visual theme, but avoid using PowerPoint templates
    • david moeller
      david moeller on 21 Jul 14
       
      It's interesting that the software we use to create presentations has bad presentation templates..
    • pattyharris123
      pattyharris123 on 05 Aug 14
       
      The templates were one of my original "draws" to PowerPoint. They made things so easy to get started.
  • mage is lame & has nothing to do with content
    • david moeller
      david moeller on 21 Jul 14
       
      But it made me laugh! :-)
  • Presentation software gives us many shiny, seductive elements to work with
    • david moeller
      david moeller on 21 Jul 14
       
      It does. and all the examples here really help me to identify what is quality and what is not..
  • bullet points in your slides are way too text heavy?
    • david moeller
      david moeller on 21 Jul 14
       
      answer: almost every time i create a powerpoint. :-/
    • tjbudd
      tjbudd on 22 Jul 14
       
      I did this in the past. I actually stopped using powerpoint because students didn't like it. I think I used the slides (as an outline) more than my students. I moved to telling more stories and relating topics to current interests and events. Students are much more engaged.
  • Remove all extraneous copy from bullet points
    • david moeller
      david moeller on 21 Jul 14
       
      This is difficult! but it is rewarding once the final product comes out nice and clean...
  • The software was designed as a convenient way to display graphical information that would support the speaker and supplement the presentation.
    • jessicawoods8
      jessicawoods8 on 21 Jul 14
       
      These words stand out to me: support and supplement.
  • use no more than two-three different types of transition effects and do not place transition effects between all slides
    • jessicawoods8
      jessicawoods8 on 21 Jul 14
       
      Good to remember to use no more than 2-3 different types of transition effects. 
  • Again, if it is included in the software, your audience has seen it a million times before.
  • Again, if it is included in the software, your audience has seen it a million times before.
    • jessicawoods8
      jessicawoods8 on 21 Jul 14
       
      Great point! I have seen some images or borders that are overused on PowerPoints! 
  • You can give a good presentation without any images at all, but if you do use images in slides, try to keep these eleven tips in mind.
    • jessicawoods8
      jessicawoods8 on 21 Jul 14
       
      Imagining a presentation without visuals would have been crazy to think about before this class! 
  • Here’s an “after” slide to illustrate:
    • jessicawoods8
      jessicawoods8 on 21 Jul 14
       
      This slide is great because it leaves me wanting to know more about the topic. I would really pay attention to the speaker because I would be intrigued by the visual! 
  • The less clutter you have on your slide, the more powerful your visual message will become.
    • fshellabarger
      fshellabarger on 22 Jul 14
       
      This is good to remember. We need to be okay with letting go of the need to "fill the slide". I know that I personally struggle with thinking I should add more visual appeal.
  • decrease the opacity and add a Gaussian Blur or motion filter in Photoshop
    • fshellabarger
      fshellabarger on 22 Jul 14
       
      I never thought about whether an image is your primary or secondary focus on any given slide. The idea of fading the picture to the back for secondary is an interesting technique to make what needs to stand out more do just that.
  • the image is still a cliché
    • fshellabarger
      fshellabarger on 22 Jul 14
       
      This is good to note. It is time for us to step away from cliche pictures that will prevent our instruction from making an original, meaningful connection with our audience.
    • tjbudd
      tjbudd on 22 Jul 14
       
      Presenters and teachers get in a hurry to create their visuals and use anything to fill the page. What I'm learning is that these images do more damage than good by distracting our audience.
  • help you remember what to cover but won’t make it easier for the audience to digest it.
    • fshellabarger
      fshellabarger on 22 Jul 14
       
      It's interesting to see how something that can try to make the speaker more comfortable can actually work against the purpose they are speaking for. We need to ask ourselves, what is more important: our audience or our script?
  • Focus on the main phrases
    • fshellabarger
      fshellabarger on 22 Jul 14
       
      This is a helpful reminder. It really hit me when I read one of the lessons in simplifying that stated we should never have a full sentence on a slide. We only need enough text for it to be memorable when we are sharing on it. In some cases, text may not even be needed to do this.
  • Even worse is to take a free comp from a photo website and stretch it out
    • tjbudd
      tjbudd on 22 Jul 14
       
      It's fine to use these images as comps until you decide whether or not the image will work but the high res image should be used in a final presentation.
  • the star, of course, is your audience
    • joyisuful
      joyisuful on 23 Jul 14
       
      Have to always keep this in mind.  The audience is the star- how can I make sure they feel satisfied after I'm finished withe my presentation?
  • If you have a detailed handout or publication for the audience to be passed out after your talk, you need not feel compelled to fill your PowerPoint slides with a great deal of text.
    • joyisuful
      joyisuful on 23 Jul 14
       
      This is something I have really learned in this class and had some interesting conversations with some people about this.  From my conversations I have learned that  people in occupations other than teaching have different oppinions about this.
  • And this is even better…
    • joyisuful
      joyisuful on 23 Jul 14
       
      I have to keep this in mind and keep working on keeping text as little as possible.
  • You can take your own high-quality photographs with your digital camera
    • joyisuful
      joyisuful on 23 Jul 14
       
      I need to take my own pictures more often.  My presentation is about history though so this is hard but give lots of presentations where I can take or use my own photographs.
  • You clearly need a consistent visual theme throughout your presentation, but most templates included in PowerPoint have been seen by your audience countless times (and besides, the templates are not all that great to begin with).
    • joyisuful
      joyisuful on 23 Jul 14
       
      This is hard for me.  I really like some of the templates in Keynote and don't feel like the audiences have seen them- the problem is they aren't always compatible with Powerpoint and sometimes have to present on a computer that only has Powerpoint.
  • Fonts communicate subtle messages in and of themselves, which is why you should choose fonts deliberately.
    • joyisuful
      joyisuful on 23 Jul 14
       
      Sometimes I'm like a kid when it comes to fonts and spend lots of times looking for a "cool" one.  I need to always remember that simple is better!
    • Patty Harrell
      Patty Harrell on 23 Jul 14
       
      The thing is some kids have trouble with some of the letters in the fonts suggested. I use comic sans because I like the way the a and the g look. For special ed students with moderate disability, it looks more familiar to the way they are learning to print.
  • Think like a designer when you arrange slide elements.
    • joyisuful
      joyisuful on 23 Jul 14
       
      I'm not a designer and think I'm not very good at thinking like one- a weakness of mine.  I need to keep the design elements in mind.
Evan Abbey

Articles: Preparation - 3 views

moodlesw.aeapdonline.org/...view.php

shared by Evan Abbey on 13 Apr 15 - No Cached
    • pkmills
      pkmills on 13 Apr 15
       
      This is my most common mistake. I know I tend to cram too much information. I am taking the same source document I used for the first presentation to try to re-do the presentation from scratch
  • Simple does not mean stupid. Frankly, thinking that the notion of simplifying is stupid is just plain, well, “stupid.” Simple can be hard for the presenter, but it will be appreciated by the audience. Simplicity takes more forethought and planning on your part because you have to think very hard about what to include and what can be left out
    • pkmills
      pkmills on 13 Apr 15
       
      Simplifying my presentation will be the smartest but the most difficult thing I have done in a long time.
  • ...41 more annotations...
  • I suggest you start your planning in “analog mode.” That is, rather than diving right into PowerPoint (or Keynote), the best presenters often scratch out their ideas and objectives with a pen and paper. Personally, I use a large whiteboard in my office to sketch out my ideas (when I was at Apple, I had one entire wall turned into a whiteboard!).
    • pkmills
      pkmills on 13 Apr 15
       
      I am looking forward to this step. my sister-in-law quilts and does this step to see what the quilt will look like laid out. I bought sticky notes just for the occasion,
    • aboevers
      aboevers on 17 Apr 15
       
      You could use different colored sticky notes and make your own "quilt"!
  • When building the content of your presentation always put yourself in the shoes of the audience and ask “so what?” Really ask yourself the tough questions throughout the planning process.
    • pkmills
      pkmills on 13 Apr 15
       
      This idea of "so what?" was my a=ha moment. It will probably be the one question to help me determine what is really important.
  • Ten slides.
    • ney4cy
      ney4cy on 17 Apr 15
       
      i know this is geared toward a venture capitalist but I think with some minor changes this would be great for a teacher. So much of what we do in education involves all 10 of these topics.
  • Twenty minutes
  • Thirty-point font
    • pkmills
      pkmills on 14 Apr 15
       
      10/20/30 was another a-ha moment for me. I had not heard the 10 slides rule before. I had heard that 20 minutes was the ideal time and 30 point font for projecting. I am looking forward to getting to see if I can make my presentation work
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 14 Apr 15
       
      I actually disagree with this part of Kawasaki's post, though the math works out if you have only 20 minutes (since the general rule of thumb is 1 slide = 2 minutes). I have seen presentations where people use slides that build off one another, which means you are able to click through a series of 10 slides within 30 seconds to illustrate a point. Obviously, these presentations won't follow the 10 slide rule, and they will work fine.
    • chaneline
      chaneline on 14 Apr 15
       
      Maybe that is a good rule to start with, but sometimes it will depend on the purpose of the slide.  For instructional sake, you may have a series of pictures that tell a quick story or give visual examples.  
    • suzdohrer
      suzdohrer on 18 Apr 15
       
      I am posting on Ollie Iowa, but do not know why Evan's name shows up but mine does not. Am I missing some step? Does it matter? I agree that I had heard about 10 slides before, but I had not heard of the 10-20-30 ratio. It gives me a starting point of reference.
  • always volunteer to go first or last, by the way)
    • dougmay
      dougmay on 14 Apr 15
       
      Always good to make the first or last impression
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 14 Apr 15
       
      Depending on the venue, you DO NOT want to go last. At conferences, for example, people will often leave before the final presentation. When we get stuck with the last presentation at a statewide conference for teachers, we are basically resigned to the fact that we will get 10% of the audience we would have gotten in the first two time slots. After lunch is also really bad. If the venue was for an interview, that might be a different story. My preference, though, would be to go second. The studies I've seen on this say that if a person "knocks it out of the park" early, it presents a hire-able option right away and they tune out to the rest of the interviews. They will give the first two people a chance just for the sake of comparison, but after that, it might not matter how good you are.
    • ney4cy
      ney4cy on 17 Apr 15
       
      My hsband speaks quite a bit on sunbstainablity and carbon trading. He always hated when he was scheduled to speak right after lunch. He said the audience was usually not as attentive.
  • If you want your audience to remember your content, then find a way to make it relevant and memorable to them
    • dougmay
      dougmay on 14 Apr 15
       
      Making a connection will invest them.
    • rabraham
      rabraham on 14 Apr 15
       
      Yes! and it will help them remember the important aspects.  Connections are  great way to help it be memorable.
  • When you remove the unknown and reduce anxiety and nervousness, then confidence is something that will naturally take the place of your anxiety.
    • dougmay
      dougmay on 14 Apr 15
       
      I used to have my fifth graders perform Shakespeare memorized on stage. They were always nervous but I would tell them that it is just like we rehearsed over and over again. PREPARATION POWERS PERFORMANCE!
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 14 Apr 15
       
      Having one successful presentation does wonders for your confidence. You have memories of what you said and how you said it that connected with the audience, and you can always fall back on those if you feel an audience isn't warmed up to you yet.
    • mrswalker_
      mrswalker_ on 16 Apr 15
       
      I always remind my students that there are two types of nerves: ones for when you're unprepared (the bad kind) and ones for when you're excited (the good kind). If presenters are prepared, then they can use confidence and excitement to connect with the audience.
  • Remember, even if you’ve been asked to share information, rarely is the mere transfer of information a satisfactory objective from the point of view of the audience
    • bdoudwaukee
      bdoudwaukee on 14 Apr 15
       
      This is an interesting point to ponder. I'm finding myself thinking about what I enjoy in a presenter an then thinking about how I present to the students. Am I using the same strategies to get my point across to the students? Sadly, I don't think I am.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 14 Apr 15
       
      This is a good maxim for all of teaching, not just for presentations. We are here to inspire, guide, coach, and provide feedback more than we are to transfer information, especially in an age where there is so much information and it is readily accessible.
    • chaneline
      chaneline on 14 Apr 15
       
      This point made me think about my presentation coming up.  I was asked to present because of my knowledge base, but I need to go beyond that.  What information does my audience need?  What are they interested in?  The answer to these questions will change and vary based on the audience knowledge level.  
    • ney4cy
      ney4cy on 17 Apr 15
       
      I agree.I always presume that I would be wasting peoples time to do anything beyond "just the facts" But when I reflect on some of the more memorable presentations I have attended, I would say that the ones with a connecting theme and story are more engaging and I retan more of the informtion presented. This is an A-ha moment for me.
    • aboevers
      aboevers on 17 Apr 15
       
      I was also about to highlight this sentence and write the same things recorded here.
  • Do not fall into the trap of thinking that in order for your audience to understand anything, you must tell them everything.
    • bdoudwaukee
      bdoudwaukee on 14 Apr 15
       
      Oh how I want to tell the students everything! I'm learning (through this and inquiry learning) that I should leave them curious for more.
    • chaneline
      chaneline on 14 Apr 15
       
      I definitely do not appreciate being dumbed down to during a presentation.  Taking time to do some probing questions will help to know what level of understanding the audience is currently functioning.
  • The brain cares about story.
    • bdoudwaukee
      bdoudwaukee on 14 Apr 15
       
      While I know this to be true in my own experience sitting through presentations, it also scares me. How am I to come up with a relevant story for every presentation I make? I don't have that many stories, and I'm really not the greatest storyteller. I get it, but this can be stressful in itself!
    • chaneline
      chaneline on 15 Apr 15
       
      When the presenter is a good storyteller, it's magnificent! I marvel at those people that can tell  interesting stories.  It's what I remember from presentations.
    • mrswalker_
      mrswalker_ on 16 Apr 15
       
      I agree that the best presenters are the best storytellers. I've found that my students love stories about me when I was younger. I've started adding in some of my funny childhood pictures to add some personality and connection to the content!
  • Simplicity takes more forethought and planning on your part because you have to think very hard about what to include and what can be left out. What is the essence of your message?
    • rabraham
      rabraham on 14 Apr 15
       
      Keep it simple! By really thinking about and getting right down to the essence of your message, it may save a presentation and not have as many people tune out what is being shared.  These are the things that I take notes on at other presentations, why not just cut to the chase.
  • Cliff Atkinson in his 2005 book, “Beyond Bullet Points,” smartly states that starting to create your presentation in PowerPoint before you have your key points and logical flow first worked out (on paper or a white board in my case) is like a movie director hiring actors and starting to film before there is a script in hand.
    • rabraham
      rabraham on 14 Apr 15
       
      I need to keep this in mind while creating PPts.  In the past, I started at the computer, but I think it would be more effective to write out the flow.
  • Humans have been sharing information aurally and visually far longer than we have been getting information by reading lists. A 2003
    • rabraham
      rabraham on 14 Apr 15
       
      This supports the elimination of bullet points.
  • “In a story, you not only weave a lot of information into the telling but you also arouse your listener’s emotion and energy,” he says.
    • rabraham
      rabraham on 14 Apr 15
       
      I like this idea and need to keep it in mind while putting together presentations.  The information is included, but it is also hooked to an emotion that helps it stay with the audience.
  • “But as a storyteller, you want to position the problems in the foreground and then show how you’ve overcome them,” says McKee. If you tell the story of how you struggled with antagonists, the audience is engaged with you and your material.
    • rabraham
      rabraham on 14 Apr 15
       
      This is essential, especially to educators.  Many people are afraid to do something new because they may fail or have difficulties.  If you share how this happened to you, it helps the audience think of you as a real person rather than someone who got it right the first time...which is not reality most of the time.
  • Twenty minutes
    • rabraham
      rabraham on 14 Apr 15
       
      I usually teach 30 minute classes, so my goal for a longer PPt is usually 15-20 minutes.  If I want to have more discussion, I usually aim for 10-15 minutes.
    • chaneline
      chaneline on 15 Apr 15
       
      For the 50 minute presentation, this is a bogus rule.  People will not be happy with a 20 minute presentation with the rest of the time for discussion.  I would find that very annoying.
    • mrswalker_
      mrswalker_ on 16 Apr 15
       
      I have 40 minute classes... I don't think this is a good or workable rule. My kindergarten-5th grade students would NEVER have 20 minutes of meaningful discussion. I do often add extra gadgets to my presentations: games, videos, music, pictures to keep them focused and not just reading the text the whole time. 
    • vmcgee
      vmcgee on 17 Apr 15
       
      Twenty minutes is probably about the right amount of time for a Junior High class.  Go beyond that, and we start going beyond their attention span.
  • he stories and the connections they made with the audience caused these relatively small points to be remembered because emotions such as surprise, sympathy, and empathy were all triggered.
    • chaneline
      chaneline on 15 Apr 15
       
      Isn't this so true!  We all remember those powerful stories and are drawn to them.  It's what connects us all.  If a presentation has this, it must be a winner.
    • aboevers
      aboevers on 17 Apr 15
       
      Good point here! But we do need to remember some of the lesser points as well.
  • we learn best with a narrative structure.
    • dougmay
      dougmay on 15 Apr 15
       
      I keep wondering how to use stories in an educational presentation such as information about the solar system.
    • ney4cy
      ney4cy on 17 Apr 15
       
      in a previous course I read about the power of anaarative on retention of information. This was from the work by Eric Jensen.
    • vmcgee
      vmcgee on 17 Apr 15
       
      Yes, I think that maybe "Narrative" is a good term to think of.  "Story" makes it difficult to put in terms of factual information that we deal with.  Maybe it would be easier for me to approach this if I think of it in terms of providing a narrative for students with my content.
  • We do not tell a story from memory alone; we do not need to memorize a story that has meaning to us. If it is real, then it is in us
    • dougmay
      dougmay on 15 Apr 15
       
      This is so true in retrospect.
  • find out the age of the oldest person in your audience and divide it by two. That’s your optimal font size.
    • dougmay
      dougmay on 15 Apr 15
       
      This may not work when teaching 12 year olds. HA
    • bdoudwaukee
      bdoudwaukee on 16 Apr 15
       
      I was thinking the same thing! Ok, if my oldest kid could possibly be 14, then the font is 7 - nope! Right now in my elementary art room it could be much smaller. Funny
    • mrswalker_
      mrswalker_ on 16 Apr 15
       
      I have kindergarteners- so I'm guessing 2.5 font isn't what the author means. This article seems more directed at professional presenters rather than elementary teachers. 
    • ney4cy
      ney4cy on 17 Apr 15
       
      I would agree. if I were usng this with children I think I would be more likely to stick to larger end of the 30 point max. Yung children need larger font to focus and i would think find it on the slide.
  • The majority of the presentations that I see have text in a ten point font
    • bdoudwaukee
      bdoudwaukee on 16 Apr 15
       
      I just went to the ISEA's training for Mandatory Reporter. It was a video of an RN taking nonstop for 3 hours and going back and forth to a Powerpoint. It was horrible - her slides were the crayon template - what does that have to do with child abuse - and she crammed lots of words on a slide. One slide that she kept going back to, you couldn't even read it was such tiny print. Death by Powerpoint!
  • EXERCISE If your audience could remember only three things about your presentation,what would you want it to be? (1)__________ (2)__________ (3)__________
    • mrswalker_
      mrswalker_ on 16 Apr 15
       
      This should always be the first step to a presentation. It will help the presenter organizer their ideas around the key points, rather than from beginning to end.
    • ney4cy
      ney4cy on 17 Apr 15
       
      This is an excellent idea on how to plan your presentation. A must remember for sure!
  • Your audience needs to see where you are going.
  • Visuals should be big, bold, clear, and easy to see. Allow graphic elements to fill the frame and bleed off the edges. Use visuals in an active way, not a decorative one. Aim to carefully trim back the details. Make your presentation—visuals and narration—participatory.
    • vmcgee
      vmcgee on 17 Apr 15
       
      This really goes hand in hand with the focus of our lessons.
  • Contrast is about differences, and we are hardwired to notice differences.
    • vmcgee
      vmcgee on 17 Apr 15
       
      In science I think this can be done by emphasizing differences between a correct and an incorrect model.  I have found that students can learn what is correct often by understanding what is incorrect, as long as they understand why this is the case.
  • I guarantee it will make your presentations better because it requires you to find the most salient points and to know how to explain them well.
    • vmcgee
      vmcgee on 17 Apr 15
       
      I think that giving ourselves guidelines like this is a good way to force ourselves to make adaptations to the way that we do things.  It all comes back to concentrating on the focus of the lesson.
    • aboevers
      aboevers on 17 Apr 15
       
      I wish all presenters followed these rules!
    • aboevers
      aboevers on 17 Apr 15
       
      But usually students won't read assigned material and you need to present a summary--but this has to change!
  • elevator test. This exercise forces you to “sell” your message in 30-45 seconds
    • aboevers
      aboevers on 17 Apr 15
       
      I do this (but I call it an Elevator Pitch) with my students when they are preparing the Proposal or Problem/Solution paper. They act like they are on "Shark Tank" and sell the idea to the class in a short speech. It is a great way for them to decide what are the most important support points and solidify the topic.
  • storytelling is the key to leadership and communication in business:
  • aim to unite an idea with an emotion
    • aboevers
      aboevers on 17 Apr 15
       
      I see some connections to advertising here. We are creating emotional, logical, and persuasive presentations to "sell" the information we are presenting.
  • If clarity and economy of expression are the goals, it would be hard to find a more perfect medium.”
    • aboevers
      aboevers on 17 Apr 15
       
      This is where power point originated, I suppose!
  • ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points.
    • aboevers
      aboevers on 17 Apr 15
       
      Good rules to live by!
  • PowerPoint
  • PowerPoint
  • mgoodwin5 on 18 Apr 15
     
    Articles: Preparation-This is a perfect "motto" to go by when creating presentations that I will begin using. In other readings we've already had, it was mentioned about having ten powerful slides and getting across the main idea, instead of having a long drawn out, boring presentation that doesn't allow the audience to take much away from it in the end. Working with this in mind, that is where the practice of my presentation comes into the picture. If a presentation is practiced well enough, the large font and small amount of text won't matter since will be able to expand the information on the slides.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • mgoodwin5 on 18 Apr 15
     
    Articles: Preparation-Whatever you are presenting needs to have a story behind it-somehow-as well as making the story interesting. Most of the time presentations can be given by doing so with personal experiences. Personally, I love hearing about other's personal experiences when it comes to pertaining to my career and their lives, due to the fact that it helps me learn from them. I feel by incorporating into the presentation some personal experience, this allows the presenter to be more comfortable in front of the audience, know their material well, and the audience will remember the presentation. Many presenters do a great job of incorporating comedy into their presentations, which adds to the creativity and helping the audience relate and remember the content.
  • mgoodwin5 on 18 Apr 15
     
    Articles: Preparation-I love the exercise that forces you to "sell" your message in 30-45 seconds. This is a great exercise to test yourself to see if you know your presentation. Would the presenter be able to do this? Would I be able to do this? Do I know my information I need to present? What do I need to do to improve my presentation in order to be able to sell in it such a short amount of time? This exercise would be a great way for my students to run through their presentation with another student as a practice for the actual presentation.
  • mgoodwin5 on 18 Apr 15
     
    Articles: Presentation-There are quite a few that mention font size. I feel this is a problem for many either questioning what size to have, if the size they are using is too large or too small, as well as what actual font to use. I find humor in the comment using the oldest person in the audience and divide by two with that being the font size. Using the 10/20/30 is the way to go to have an effective presentation. This is what I will be using and what part of my expectations will be for my students for any of their presentations to be more effective.
amorarend

PLE Articles - 1 views

moodlesw.aeapdonline.org/...view.php

shared by amorarend on 10 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • Not every student is ready for this responsibility, so teachers need to have strategies in place to guide and support these learners. In addition, teachers must pursue training and be knowledgeable of how to utilize PLEs to enhance learning and ensure that students are using this e-learning tool in a meaningful way
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 10 Feb 16
       
      It is not enough just to have PLEs and use them in the classroom, a teacher needs to be able to provide intervention, conferring, and reteaching strategies to help the student understand the expectations. They need to know how to use the tool correctly. 
    • lkmace
      lkmace on 10 Feb 16
       
      Having the opportunity to collaborate with, visit schools supporting PLEs, or receive support from other professionals already comfortable with implementing PLEs would prove valuable on my journey to create learning environments to best meet my student needs. I so agree with your comment of teacher role.
    • wolson86
      wolson86 on 13 Feb 16
       
      This is a very powerful statement. I agree it is not just enough to have PLE's and use them. It is very important to have time to collaborate and have some professional development. Using PLE's teachers will be in a different role than in previous settings and will need the tools to support their students through this learning journey. 
  • Some instructors empower students to use their own mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones as a means to create PLEs. Others utilize sites such as Symbaloo or NetVibesas a foundation to help learners create and maintain their personal learning environments. Below is a video that shows how a 7th grade student uses Symbaloo as a PLE in her science class:
    • amorarend
      amorarend on 10 Feb 16
       
      How do students learn how to use their PLE? Do they take a class to learn how to correctly and effectively them or does each classroom teacher teach bits and pieces of it?
    • Megan Schulte
      Megan Schulte on 10 Feb 16
       
      I think this depends on the students.  Some kids can naturally figure out how things work and others will need a tutorial.  Ultimately the kids will choose a PLE that they feel comfortable with or already know how to use.
  • Teachers, she explains, are no longer the primary or even the best source of information available to students, and our work must increasingly attend to supporting students in developing their skills and motivations for becoming themselves networked and sophisticated online learners.
    • amorarend
      amorarend on 10 Feb 16
       
      Are schools going to provide training for teachers so they know how to use all of these PLE tools? I feel I would want to fully understand how to use all of these online tools before I teach my students how to use them.
    • kelsi-johnson
      kelsi-johnson on 12 Feb 16
       
      We also need to teach our students to think and learn on their own. They are used to being provided with resources, graphic organizers, and other tools to guide their thinking. This is a big shift in processing and responsibility for our students. Because they have never done this in earlier education, some will really struggle to adapt.
    • wolson86
      wolson86 on 13 Feb 16
       
      You pose great questions, "are schools going to provide training for teachers so they know how to use all of the PLE tools?" I agree educators will need more training to properly implement PLE's into their classrooms. The statement that teachers are no longer the primary or even the best source of information is a huge shift in thinking. Our jobs as educators will be to support our students on their on learning pathway. 
  • ...17 more annotations...
  • as an instructor, you can make a webmix quite interactive.
    • amorarend
      amorarend on 10 Feb 16
       
      Using this in a classroom would be helpful to catch students up who have been absent. 
    • kelsi-johnson
      kelsi-johnson on 12 Feb 16
       
      Yes! Or to be able to access it on their own if they are absent. There isn't an excuse to not be current or up to date if resources are always at their fingertips.
  • PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness.
    • amorarend
      amorarend on 10 Feb 16
       
      This definitely seems more geared towards middle and high school students. Are their ways to create PLE's in the elementary classroom?
    • Megan Schulte
      Megan Schulte on 10 Feb 16
       
      I read in one of our assigned readings/videos that a PLE sometimes looks like the homescreen on a smart phone.  So an elementary student may have a variety of educational games that they have found/been provided that they would use for practice. Other kids' PLE may not involve technology at all, but instead be a manipulative, like counting blocks.  I know my own children (by birth) have been practicing multiplication with their Pokemon cards? My first grader couldn't handle using the iPad for sight word practice and had to go back to flash cards.  He learned what was acceptable and regained access.  While this classroom isn't necessarily PL, I would think the same concept applies? 
  • We also discussed that as they begin to work in inquiry circles next week and to collaborate on their digital research projects, they can create, publish, and share their topic webmixes with their peers so that they can collaborate and discover information sources through this form of networking/information sharing–I find this possibility exciting for the students, and they seemed impressed by this concept as well.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 10 Feb 16
       
      This networking in inquiry circles sounds like a wonderful way for students to share their learning. It would also give students a way to have a voice for those you are more hesitant to share in the regular classroom. I have a lot of questions about how it all works. How do we prepare students for this work? Do they have basic grammar structures so their writing makes sense? I am unfamiliar with the websites being used. Do we need to have inservices to get all teachers "up-to-date" on what students will be using? And lastly, what constitutes a finished project? How do students know when they are done?  
  • we are in a new era where information is abundantly available and professionalism is far more about the effective manipulation– access, evaluation, & application– it only makes sense to reorient learning toward facilitation of students’ “active role in the learning process” and teachers’ provision of the right balance between structured lessons and autonomy; let’s never forget it is an ongoing balancing act. 
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 10 Feb 16
       
      It is very clear the teacher and student roles are making a major shift. While we are changing the roles in the process, as educators, we need to have a unified understanding of what the balance needs to be or we will be giving students mixed messages. Students can quickly determine how to access what they need once they are given the tools but evaluation and process will require some lessons for the students AND the teachers. 
  • you can create tiles that link to challenges, quiz questions, polls, discussion forums, chat pages, and other types of content and media that will facilitate more student involvement and creativity
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 10 Feb 16
       
      Versatility and Opportunity which will allow for student work and communication in a personal learning environment with classroom connections. 
  • Personal learning environments (PLE) are a new approach to personalized learning that allows students to direct and manage their own learning experience while pursuing educational goals.
    • lkmace
      lkmace on 10 Feb 16
       
      Every Wednesday my district has a late start for students while teachers are receiving PD. Just this morning a discussion at my table involved brainstorming how to move students past doing just what's expected of them. How do we get their thinking to move past, "How many paragraphs/sentences do I need to write?" PL could be a tool to develop that independent learner.
    • kelsi-johnson
      kelsi-johnson on 12 Feb 16
       
      I agree, this will be the hardest step for our students! They are used to the traditional model of education with clear expectations and guidelines always structured and provided for them. We are trying to increase opportunities for students to be independent and accountable for their own learning and many are resistant. They know how to "play the game" of the traditional model of a school, so change can be intimidating.
  • Instead of a teacher providing resources that everyone uses, students can utilize their PLE to acquire information using preferred apps and resources such as blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, Ning or Delicious. The development of PLEs represents a shift in focus from teacher centered classrooms to more learner centered classrooms.
    • Megan Schulte
      Megan Schulte on 10 Feb 16
       
      As I have been talking to my kids about PL, I heard (and have feared) someone say, "So we're doing the teacher's job?"  I think, like most changes in education, it's going to take some convincing/educating the parents as to what PL is and the role of the teacher.  Of course, I feel that it's all about how it's presented.  If you get the kids to understand their role and the teacher's role, you may not have these issues.
    • kelsi-johnson
      kelsi-johnson on 12 Feb 16
       
      This needs to start in elementary for it to be truly effective; I don't think we can expect secondary students who have not been taught how to learn in this environment to suddenly run with personal learning. While many of them think it sounds great, they haven't been conditioned to independence in their learning. They want everything provided for them and often don't know where to start when set off on their own. We need to teach students how to learn in this manner in order for it to be successful.
  • those policies are not going to change.
    • Megan Schulte
      Megan Schulte on 10 Feb 16
       
      This is a systematic problem that needs to change in order to make PL work.  Restricting access is not the answer, and I believe we'll get there as a society.  If we want real life, the students need to understand when it's acceptable to do what.  I already know my students will struggle with this issue, but if they're engaged in their PL, they may not need those distractions.  As with any classroom management issue, expectations will need to be established and enforced when violated.  We read that adults even struggle with using technology appropriately in the workplace, so of course this will need addressed with students.
    • lkmace
      lkmace on 11 Feb 16
       
      On that thought, will our lifting those access restrictions at the elementary through secondary grade levels assist learners beyond the K-12 walls with using technology appropriately? Would it reduce the occurrence of workplace and adult inappropriate use of technology which seems to be sadly common place today?
    • kelsi-johnson
      kelsi-johnson on 12 Feb 16
       
      We have so many problems with restrictions on our devices. At our school, teachers have the same filters as the students also! They give us no passwords for administrative access or even the WiFi. How can we teach students to think critically when using the web if we simply restrict everything? Especially when it comes to teachers, this seems a bit demeaning. People will always use resources inappropriately. Unfortunately, that's just the way it works. Why restrict everyone due to the poor actions of a few?
  • ong have educators, from Aristotle to Dewey to Sizer, called for “learning by doing” and “student as worker,”
    • Megan Schulte
      Megan Schulte on 10 Feb 16
       
      I feel that this is where we are at as educators as well.  We need to "learn by doing" because a lot of us are doing a job we were never trained to do...and I'm not even that old!  I currently have a student teacher, and she's amazed (and a little scared) at what we're doing with our students with blended learning and also standards based grading.  She hasn't even graduated and she knows nothing of either of them!  Get ready, honey!  :)
  • The notion of a PLE for students, grounding them intentionally in an environment of information tools and productive applications, is a great way to seek, develop, and structure that balanced approach.
    • Megan Schulte
      Megan Schulte on 10 Feb 16
       
      As much of this as we can implement in our class is a step in the right direction.  We can only control so many variables of the school day, and that's ultimately what is holding a lot of us back from implementing true PL.  
  • Because you can link to an infinite variety of web pages and you can embed media
    • Megan Schulte
      Megan Schulte on 10 Feb 16
       
      We do SOOO much on Google Drive in our school, I'm interested in seeing how we could use them together or if this would be separate.
  • The concept of PLE is not a way to replace classroom learning,
    • lkmace
      lkmace on 10 Feb 16
       
      This is an important declarative to use when persuading teammates or administration to support the personal learning environment in your school. Like any differentiation piece, collaboration, individual student consideration of needs, and building a rigorous, yet attainable structure to learning is included with that design. Creating the PL to include technology students are frequenting, motivates students buying in to the idea at first.
    • wolson86
      wolson86 on 13 Feb 16
       
      I agree with this statement about not here to replace classroom learning but to enhance it. I also agree with your comment about how it is an important declarative when bringing the topic to co-teachers or administration. Education is always changing and administrators will want to listen if you have a way to enhance student learning. 
  • parents, email conversations, Facebook posts or even twitter hashtags. These interactions among their learning community reinforces learning and combats the often negative stereotypes associated with traditional learning techniques. Because PLEs are learner controlled, they are easily adapted to the learner’s day-to-day activities and interests both inside and outside of the classroom
    • lkmace
      lkmace on 10 Feb 16
       
      This all sounds great! I could easily believe my students would enjoy these social network interaction learning communities. However, it does form a question connecting to student safety. I'm wondering how districts already implementing PLEs are assuring students they are responsible for will be involved with a secure/safe learning experience?
  • my main priority is for students to have a tool they can use to organize their information streams and to create their own topic webmixes, and from what I’ve seen so far, Symbaloo definitely will meet those needs. As we begin venturing into our research the next two weeks and students begin developing their Symbaloo webmixes, I’ll continue to collect feedback from students on how this learning tool is working for them and how they are using it for themselves as well as within their groups–I’m excited to see what will happen.
    • lkmace
      lkmace on 11 Feb 16
       
      This grabs my interest! Not quite ready to plunge into this just yet, but could envision how this could greatly enhance students' research connected to problem-based learning situations I propose as extended learning projects with classroom teachers.
  • ymbaloo EDU
    • lkmace
      lkmace on 11 Feb 16
       
      In taking a glimpse at the Symbaloo EDU page, I was glad to find out it's compatibility with tablets. My students have personal Chrome Books, we often find certain apps and programs that aren't available to use with these.
  • ruth be told, I could stand to be more savvy in my own organizing of online learning and networking: I’ve been slow to use tools and develop skills for managing online resource, such as the use of vehicles like Symbaloo, Evernote, or Diigo, and I want to take inspiration from the 7th grade student in the video above to move forward in this way and learn and practive better these skills and with these tools.
    • lkmace
      lkmace on 11 Feb 16
       
      I often feel the same - slow to utilize the tools available. It's always well intent, but priority address other items at hand. I'm hoping this evolves as I develop more understanding of PLEs and their use for enhancing learning opportunities of those I instruct.
    • kelsi-johnson
      kelsi-johnson on 12 Feb 16
       
      Not to mention, once we master one tool...another one pops up! I try to stay current in technology through classes and our PD opportunity, but it is tough to stay on top of things. I think the best way to do this is to stick with one tool and work to know it well. Otherwise we fall into the trap of "jack of all trades, master of none!"
  • Learning isn’t germane to structured classroom environments alone; it occurs in both formal and informal settings.
    • wolson86
      wolson86 on 13 Feb 16
       
      I think this statement is very important for the heading why PLE's are beneficial. Showing learning can take place in both formal and informal settings. Often with the push to meet the standards and standardized tests teachers feel the need to focus on the formal learning setting, however the informal learning setting can actually prove to be more beneficial in my opinion.  
lfreund

"Personalized" vs. "Personal" Learning - 1 views

moodlesw.aealearningonline.org/...view.php

shared by lfreund on 02 Jul 18 - No Cached
  • She cautions educators who may be excited about the progressive educational implications for “personalized learning” to make sure everyone they work with is on the same page about what that phrase means.
    • juliannehoward
      juliannehoward on 02 Jul 18
       
      When I read this all educators in who are working collaboratively with need to "make sure everyone they work with is on the same page about what each phrase means". Time and time again you don't work together and this is where gaps or "things don't come together".
  • Technology was strikingly absent from these conversations. Instead, the common view of personalization focused on giving agency for learning to the student and valuing each individual in a classroom.
    • juliannehoward
      juliannehoward on 02 Jul 18
       
      I'm shocked that there was no conversation about technology within this conference, however I know the focus should be meeting the needs of all students, student choice, rich/meaningful "personalized" learning. Why no discussions about integration of technology?
  • in order to navigate the system of accountability in the U.S. educational system, many school district leaders require public school educators to teach a specific curriculum that will be evaluated on standardized tests, while at the same time telling teachers to be innovative and creative within their classrooms.
    • juliannehoward
      juliannehoward on 02 Jul 18
       
      When I think to my going to be new school building, I think of all the state testing required curriculum and so this paragraph hits home. How can you meet the demands of the system yet create a new system of innovation and student centered learning?
    • lfreund
      lfreund on 10 Jul 18
       
      I feel the same way. I think the best way with implementing any new ideas is to take "baby steps", adding something new, while at the same time determining what small things could be taken out. It could never happen quiickly, but over many years.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • We don’t need personalization as much as we need to promote and give opportunities for our kids to do personal learning. And while they come from the same root, those two words are vastly different. “Personalized” learning is something that we do to kids; “personal” learning is something they do for themselves.
    • juliannehoward
      juliannehoward on 02 Jul 18
       
      I think the key point here whether "personalization" or "personal" you are allowing students to learn to do for themselves. Forming habits that last through their life. Creating opportunities through exploration, goal setting, and problem solving. Again tech is not a main focus, but can enhance.
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