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Teach students where to find help rather then spending all of your time showing them exactly what to do. This is where the real learning from technology comes from

If I might add to your astute thought, Doug, to also guide the students in determining how the information they found will be used to assist in their learning. More times than not, kids seem to grab information for the sake of possessing it without taking into consideration their intentions on how to utilize it.

I agree with you, they really lack that thinking skill. They are very accustomed to the grab & go answer and find it hard to take risks in delving deeper into a topic.

I find that some of my students end up teaching/showing me! They are all so good natured about helping me when they know something I don't! My favorite part of teaching however, is collaborating WITH my students on research projects and sharing in theri excitement when they discover great resources in unfamiliar places.

A different set of challanges in an online course. Harder to find out different student needs.

Yes, but I think this will open up more alternatives for students to learn & get more involved in the learning process which should help eliminate behavioral issues.

This is a great opportunity to incorporate youtube videos for visual learners, "guest lecturers" available through podcasts for audio learners and various "hands on activities" for the tactile learner. Having instant access to such a wealth of multimedia information/activities should make it easier to accomodate multiple learning styles. However, this will require additional research and time on the part of the teacher to find appropriate resources to include.

I think this is so important. I am curious how many district require this in a syllabus or something similar at the beginning of the year?

That is a great point! My guess would be that there are not many requirements, yet. If there are, I am sure they are rather vague at the moment and will be getting more in depth in the upcoming years. Speaking from the standpoint of my district, I can say that most technology "extras" or resources are not required, but many are encouraged.

I think the key word here is the word continually. This means that we have to look at more than tests and venture further into ancedotal assessments and similar ongoing classroom checks--such as checks for understanding.

I feel that this is not always done and will be essentail when technology becomes so common--such as with a 1:1 initiative. An understanding of these fair use policies is necessary for educators also.

This is an area I would like to develop. How can we be sure our students are learning during the course so that we are able to address any misconceptions?

This section really got me thinking! My first year teaching I kept every students' assessments in a folder in a file cabinet, thinking their parents would like to see it at conferences, and the kids would like to see it at the end of the year. Little did I know parents didn't care and the kids just threw them away. But now ... with standards based grading, I might bring portfolios back. I have kids go through several 'tiers' of instructions to meet expectations ... but I keep giving them their work back. SBAR is all about evidence ... but i have none. They do it, I modify their grade in the grade book, and give back the evidence. Maybe, just maybe, I should keep it in a portfolio????

I have just begun scratching the surface of portfolios again with my students. For me, the portfolio is about empowered learners and showing evidence of progress. Having students post the drafts of a creative work is a very powerful tool for them and others to see growth. to me, the growth is more important than the finished product. Regarding empowerment, I am finding that the conversations in my classroom are changing. We are migrating away from student submit to classroom to teacher goes to student portfolio website to access work. It's a major shift in thinking and helps the student take more responsibility and ownership for their work and the display of what they've learned.

Very few jobs require an individual to work alone these days. The ability to work in a group collaboratively is key! Teaching kids how to develop these skills early is essential. Evaluating group work FOR THE GOOD OF THE GROUP is such an important life skill I think!

Otherwise known as positive peer pressure, which I don't necessarily consider bad. One role as a facilitator in group projects is not not micromanage and assign tasks, but rather let the group dynamics control the situation. Doing a self assessment on ones own contributions as compared to the rest of the group might inspire one to 'step it up.'

It's hard to evaluate or even comment on a peer's work, don't you all agree? At least for me, unless the work is in a field I am comfortable with, Mathematics (or sports), I feel awkward making even required suggestions for improvement.

It is a difficult task. When I'm presented with feedback from a peer, I find myself thinking...well, this is how they would do it...I"m not them. However, if the rubric serves as the official guide, I am more apt to make the changes rightfully so.

Comments and suggestions can be difficult to make especially if it is in a content area outside of one's comfort zone. However, I think it is important to read or hear comments from others because it provides a different point of view on a subject. Sometimes people are so familiar with a topic that they assume everyone else has the same knowledge. Peer feedback can help bring reality back to a person's mindset.

I agree with these comments about ones comfort zone. That is realistic I think for most people. But also agree with Mike about if there is a rubric to follow if might make for comments to be a bit easier to make.

Without a learning environment that is supportive, students might not want to say anything that would upset the student being evaluated. Also, when students feel comfortable in the classroom, then they know that comments are constructive and not degrading.

I agree! This may take time to develop and specific lessons on the expectations of how to give peer feedback. We can't expect students to just know how to do this if they have never been taught.

When students take responsibility for their learning and metacognition, they are more likely to be motivated to learn and do more to understand what the learning is about.

Teachers in my district have used SMART goals when developing their professional goals. I think this would really help students when they are developing a goal for themselves. Instead of just stating a goal, students can see how to make their goal specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. Students can then lay out a plan to attain all of them.

We use SMART goals with our PLC or CTT's each week with what the teachers want the students to learn. We use SMART goals personally on our PD plans. These SMART goals would be extremely helpful for students to use in their own learning.

When I taught at the junior high, we used portfolios to show to students parents at conferences. The student would present each item in the portfolio to their parents. I think the students liked showing their parents their work, usually their best work, and the parents enjoyed looking and listening to their child present the contents of the portfolio. I think it made the students feel like they did a good job and proud of themselves for their hard work.

This is a huge component. In this day in age students need to be able to market themselves to standout from the other job applicants. Portfolios done well can help a student to do this.

This is something that is more often seen in college or later high school. Though some elementary teachers use the process portfolio like this during conferences to have students run the conference.

When we used portfolios at conferences, I think it did make the conference run more smoothly because the student was showing their parents what they have done and have learned. Without portfolios, conferences at times could be a little uncomfortable because the student and the parents were upset because of a bad grade, bad behavior, etc. The conference wasn't always showing what the student was doing right or learning. So, I agree that it does emphasize what the student can do rather than what they cannot do. The student is more motivated to try harder and learn more when they are proud of their work and what they have learned and can do.

I believe this is such an important statement! Yes, we do need to emphasize what students can do! They are all learning. Some may not be progressing as quickly as others but hopefully they are all learning. Giving students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in a portfolio can be motivating, especially when they know that others will see it.

I moved to a portfolio assessment for the semester exam last semester and the stress/anxiety level went down because students felt confident in what they knew instead of being punished for what they don't know.

I am a huge fan of self assessment and learning what your students know and may be struggling with.

This is also reflected in Hatti's effect size as it pertains to student goal setting.

Our school is working on this right now. We have a rubric that we are trying to improve on. The specifics are layed out and we can see where we want to go and we know what we have to do to get there. No guessing.

This can be a major pitfall, especially if students work or peer assess friends. They don't want to bring down their peer or start and argument with a friend.

Becoming a facilitator is really the ultimate goal for student based learning. Students gain more ownership of the learning process and hopefully gain better understanding through their increased role in the process.

What this reads like to me is that students need guidance and practice with self assessment before it can be effective or meaningful to them.