I love this idea as we need to instill the need to be a part of organizations/communities/initiatives. What partnerships could be developed to push this for those going into the military, trades, and lifeskills students? I would love to see an idea of a plan of what this looks like.

Confidence is certainly an issue for struggling students. Why would they want to look different? I hadn't thought about the privacy of online learning in regards to people not knowing what was and wasn't done. If I need extra help, I can ask it in a different way and not look "dumb" or if I need time because I had to work all weekend,I can still meet expectations and push myself.

Online learning helps with the digital divide and gives needed exposure to various online uses. We can't assume they have technology let alone know how to search and use online skills/tasks.

This is where I get frustrated in the elementary. Most sites are for students ages 13 and up. I won't allow them to create their own prezi, animoto, powtoon, etc. accounts. So I have them use my login & password which is likely breaking copyright rules. These social media platforms (including Pinterest), need to create student friendly ones for ages 7 and up (just threw out an age) so that we can integrate similar style of teaching.

Organizations/schools have always tried to increase communication. Parents have always continued to want more understanding of what students are learning. Using this type of format and inviting them into the learning is crucial. They can give feedback, see how to help, and also feel confident in what students are learning and the type of projects/products. The trick- how do we integrate families without internet? That is not impossible (especially if they come pick at school and allowing access in the library), but something to seriously think about. Rural areas can't go to McDonalds 20 miles away to do homework. We must have a policy to help those without internet.

I am curious what this would look like. I understand better how to increase the social side of online learning through video conferencing, forums, group projects, etc., but I wonder what this looks like for working in person while on the job. Working with other online looks can be very different than face to face on a regular basis.

All too often we push, push kids from one area to another. No, we can't talk about this because we now have to move to science, or it is time for music. I think one of the biggest issues is we don't give enough time to process and reflect what we have learned and what question we have. I think designed correctly, this time to "chill out" is there naturally.

This is the area that I think begins the difficult part for many teachers. How do we allow kids freedom on a regular basis? What is suggested for practicing the routines/procedures/expectations for this? I think evaluating reports would be essential beyond the obvious to collect data but also to focus on time on task. I know some people are better being told what to do and when. I think this needs to be flexible.

I truly think the majority of teachers over many, many years have believed this statement and want to offer more choice. I think technology has increased the ability to meet these goals. How about kids who don't read near grade level or with mental health issues? What does this look like in the elementary? I believe in this statement and 100% in the philosophy of it but wonder how it can be done at a large level.

I think these are the heaviest words in the entire article. Schools need some kind of curriculum which by nature pushes more control and compliance. I think we need to really think this through. Assessment gets even tougher. How do you create a truly good rubric that doesn't "push" our agenda and control/compliance but allow students to meet our goals with freedom?

I think accountability can be looked at as a dirty word, but it definitely is necessary. Results must be evaluated for improvement, refinement, and celebration, just as we do for our students. Often, we have fidelity checks by various people across the district, principals do walk throughs, we have TCLS in Iowa with walk throughs and diccussions with different people. What would this look like in an online world and how would people look at 30 different students work? When it comes to accountability, people are going to need to start looking more at the product and process and not be able to collect data as much on the fly as we can with more traditional face to face. How exciting...could we create some how to for administrators to help guide this?

When I taught ELA in middle school, I would spend hours providing feedback. Most would throw it away and not even read it as there wasn't ownership on their end or they just did it for the grade. Google docs has allowed feedback to be more timely and allowed personal ownership as well as feedback from other staff and students. The power is the ownership for the student.

This bothers me a lot. If we have bare minimum expectations and hopes, then we do we get what we deserve? I understand there are students out there doing just that; however, perhaps those same students need the chance to reflect to see that it is not just about their grade. If students do this more and more often in K-12 world, wouldn't it start to become a part of the college world expectation? Perhaps all education levels need to get together to evaluate how to best attack this systemically!

This jumps out at me. The purpose of scaffolding and modeling along with high rigor for all allow students to reasons increasingly concept text. Let us not forget that teaching is incredibly difficult, and it truly is this that makes it challenging to do it well. But when done well, the results are amazing.

Often, teachers use informal data to drive instruction or make quick decisions. I think in the last 10 years there has been much more focus on metacognition. Teachers should and will formulate ideas informally. I think the key is goal setting and kids truly identifying where he/she is and communicate it in some way.

First of all, I had not seen the word stultifying before! In order for a rubric or other type of assessments to be empowering, students must understand how to use them and have examples that help guide the conversation. Students need to know the expectations and what is considered and exceeds and just beginning. We must put more ownership on the kids' ends to self-assess well before the final due date. We want kids to improve it. I have come to love checklists to help guide this.

I have had quite a bit of training on assessment and rubrics and still feel it is almost impossible to write a good one. Are our post-secondary educators, many of whom don't necessarily have a teaching background, feel comfortable developing rubrics? Who is in charge of this huge task that can be career ending or career beginning for some?

This perplexes me...As Mike pointed out the need to focus more on the process, do we focus too much on the final product? Can't we have separate rubrics that assess along the way to help with this? It would improve learning but and help teachers truly give a grade with multiple indicators that assess work ethic, collaboration, final product, and the process. I am glad to hear that our focus isn't always on the right answer but creating students who can reason and problem solve.

moodle_iowa

I have heard adults remember the testing as a child and parents say, "My child just isn't a good tester." I don't test very well. I avoided getting a masters from some schools because they required the GRE to get into the program. NO WAY! I often wonder why a GRE score determines who can take the courses and pay anyway? How should our colleges/universities look at the biases of testing and/or knowing some people haven't taken certain courses in 20 years?

I think the multiple measures really help us see the whole kid. What if I am artistic in nature and don't show what I know on the basic tests? What if I am ultra creative in writing? What if my strength is technology, and I disengage because all I want to do is create. Multiple measures is imperative, and we need to look at different ways as well.