This page provides information on how to use Gale and Google collaboratively. There is nice video that shows how to move articles into your Google Drive.
Google Docs is a suite of products that lets you create different kinds of online documents, work on them in real time with other people, and store your documents and your other files -- all online, and all for free. With an Internet connection, you can access your documents and files from any computer, anywhere in the world. (There's even some work you can do without an Internet connection!) This guide will give you a quick overview of the many things that you can do in Google Docs.
Welcome to "Googlios" where free Google tools meet ePortfolios.
This site is intended to be a collection of resources for those interested in using ePortfolios in Education.
Watch the 2 minute Intro video here
Many of the participants in the UW-Stout E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program use Google Sites to create their e-portfolios. The portfolios are created and used throughout the program. During the practicum, when students become teachers by teaching in one of our graduate classes, they also refine and polish their portfolios. Ultimately the online portfolio becomes a job search tool that helps our graduates show a potential employer what they know.
I have just started to use googledocs for documents. My course I have set up is a face to face with an online part as well. On my online course I have assignments, so using google docs would be a way to interact with them in a quicker fashion.
John, I was just on both sites for Google Docs that you shared. i use Google docs in my workplace all the time and fine it to be a great tool for agendas and minutes during meetings.
Has knowledge of learning theory appropriate to online learning, which may include (but is not limited to) age and ability level, multiple intelligences, didactic conversation, student developmental influences, constructivism, behaviorism, cognitivism, connectivism, and group theory
I need to add a few more words to explain my interest in this passage. This passage indicates why teaching and learning aren't only important, but they can be difficult, too.
Online instruction is growing across the nation, the main reason in the lower cost, compared with the traditional classroom; experts indicate there is not enough evidence online instruction is indicated to all teenage students. I have seen many of them dropping online classes in Plato; kids need to socialize.
Provides substantive, timely, and constructive feedback to students
There is a service called crocodoc.com that allows you to mark student work, written work I should say. This will be another alternative to marking. Glogster & kidblog allow you to make comments for the students.
Last year my son had an English class that made use of googledocs and online comments. The teacher didn't always get back to him in a timely manner. Plus, even though they saw each other everyday in class, they didn't talk about the issues on writing the essay on googledocs.
Communicates with students effectively and consistently
Your first point is well-taken, Brian. Add to that the difficult task of a teacher trying to communicate with their elementary-aged students in person and now attempting to do the same thing online. Not for the faint of heart!
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.
different needs of students, including different learning styles
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.
This is an area I wish to improve this school year. Instead of a basic exit survey that doesn't tell me much, I'd like to either find or create something in the way of feedback that I could actually use to improve my lesson or unit in the future.
I could improve in this area as well Mike. I don't like using tests because they are a quick view of what they know. Much of what my students do is very open ended projects and it's hard to grade these until you figure what a student is capable of.
I have created a course evaluation that I use for students at the end of the year and I find it to be valuable. I'm sure there are better ones, but I would be happy to email/share a form I have created for students. Obviously it could be edited and should be to fit the changes I make each year to my class.
Our principal has begun to create a student exit survey that could be used school or department wide. This was created using survey monkey. The science department "field tested" it in the spring. The way that the questions were worded and the feed back provided was able to give us great insight into what was working and not working as well as what the students appreciated in terms of learning activities and levels of rigor.
Our district unveiling a new district-wide student-use policy this August. Though I know they're needed, the problem I see with these policies is that after you've spent the time agreeing on and writing up the rules it can already be considered outdated due to the rapid expance of technology.
We also have a newly written AUP and it is hard to keep them updated so if well written it should be able to adjust for the times. Many districts don't revise these very often. I think they should be revisited a minimum of every 2-3 years to allow for changes.
I might be wrong, but the policies probably need to be updated every six months to sort of keep up with new technology. That or the policies will have to be very broad, which has positives and negatives, too.
Understands the differences between teaching online and teaching face-to-face
This is interesting. There is definately things to consider in an online classroom that you don't in a face-to-face classroom. However, as a classroom teacher, adding an online compenent to my course has required me to be more thoughtful, organized, explicit, and available. All of which have helped me meet more of my students' needs.
I don't know how to be an online teacher yet....I love what I do in my classroom and I think I'm a really effective teacher, but I'm always eager to improve. I think I have more to learn about the difference between the two. This is the first on line class I have taken and though it is frustrating when I don't understand, it is forcing me to stick with something longer/ problem solve more on my own!
The more that I discuss online learning, the more I think about the face-to-face teaching. I feel that this tows a fine line as we all have a variety of learners in our classroom. Balancing the face-to-face and online instruction is an element of teaching that also depends on the age level you are teaching. I think that the older the learners are, the more content they be exposed to online.
Designs the structure of the course and the presentation of the content to best enhance student learning, including using unit/lesson overviews and reviews, using patterns in lesson sequencing, and using appropriate visual web design techniques
This is why I am taking this course. I want to enhance my students learning and I feel that greater incorporation of meaningful/appropriate technology use will allow me to do that.
Promotes learning through online collaboration group work that is goal-oriented and focused
This is one of the items that I am most excited about using with Moodle. I want to have a way other than my classroom observations to see how students are working through problems and learning from each other. Wiki's, Google docs and forums will allow me to see who is sharing their ideas and how other students respond to them.
This is one of my concerns about online learning. I have found that students often are willing to say things in print that they would not have the nerve to say to someone face to face. I feel that I will have to devote some time in training the students on what appropriate feedback would include and not include.
Is knowledgeable and has the ability to use computer programs required in online education to improve learning and teaching, including course management software (CMS) and synchronous/asynchronous communication tools (chat, email, web 2.0, videoconferencing, webinar, whiteboard, etc.) (SREB B.3, Varvel III.B)
Is knowledgeable and has the ability to use computer programs required in online education to improve learning and teaching, including course management software (CMS) and synchronous/asynchronous communication tools (chat, email, web 2.0, videoconferencing, webinar, whiteboard, etc.) (SREB B.3, Varvel III.B)
Are some school districts going to have to open up the restrictions on chat and remove some of their filtering to allow teachers access to some of these capabilities.
Deb,
I think that you are correct, school districts will have to "loosen up" a bit. The other concern is access to technology/internet for students that come from low income families or families that might be homeless and do not have regular access outside of normal school hours.
Is knowledgeable and has the ability to use computer programs required in online education to improve learning and teaching, including course management software (CMS) and synchronous/asynchronous communication tools (chat, email, web 2.0, videoconferencing, webinar, whiteboard, etc.) (SREB B.3, Varvel III.B)
This will require many teachers to loosen the grip they feel they need to have on their students. Teachers need to learn to be more of a supportive role for students.
Teachers need to know the AUP and what administration will do when inappropriate action is discovered. All teachers should be in agreement with the course of action.
I suppose this was one of the purposes of teacher portfolios, but I think evidence is growing in importance as NCLB continues to drive education and there is more pressure to prove student proficiency. This is going to require more use of technology, I suspect, to gather and maintain the data needed.
Selects and uses technologies appropriate to the content that enhance learning
This is the area I am struggling with. I am not a technology native and I am not well read or experienced with technology. I get overwhelmed by so many options, I freeze up. I need to have someone help me identify one or two tools that I can understand and use effectively in my curriculum and then focus on just those 2 pieces of technology until I gain more confidence.
Demonstrates growth in technology knowledge and skills in order to stay current
with emerging technologies (SREB B.5
There is a broad spectrum of independent studies and diverse mediums to channel them; distance learning, correspondence, hybrid classes, computers, teleconference, cell-phones, educational television, etc. I guess standards would need to be adapted to each type of class.
Jorge,
I agree with you that the phrase on-line teaching incorporates a broad spectrum of courses/means of delivery. Each type of course whether hybrid, distance learning, etc is going to have its own unique intereactions and pedagogy. As a result, it might be necessary to visit and re-evaluate these standards as times and technology change.
I like the rewording from "classroom management" to "incorporate social aspects", mostly behavioral ones; there is a lot less need for classroom management in the online instructional process; in eithe setting, it is crucial to count with the elements of engagement and social skills in order to accompllish the academic goals.
Identifies and communicates learning outcomes and expectations through a course
overview/orientation (Varvel IV.A, ITS 3.b)
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.
Continuously
2uses
data to evaluate the accuracy and
effectiveness of instructional strategies (SREB J.7, ITS 1.c)
Continuously
2
uses
data to
evaluate the accuracy and
effectiveness of instructional strategies (SREB
J.7, ITS 1.c)
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.
Understands and uses course content that complies with intellectual property
rights and fair use, and assists students in complying as well (SREB E.5, Varvel
I.B)
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.
Has experienced online learning from the perspective of a student
I am finding a whole different point of view as I use Moodle as a student rather than as a teacher. I find I have more questions about where components of the assignments are, and kind of worry about keeping all the tasks straight. I really want to think about this as I design my own course.
I'm struggling with those issues just for this one class. I couldn't imagine trying to keep more than one online class going on at a time. That may be the product of my non-digital native bias. Maybe for the present youth it will be no big deal. I struggle with the different technologies I'm expected to use as a teacher: Powerschool, gmail, igoogle, google docs, google class web site, Smartboard, etc. On the other hand, maybe having to learn and use new technology will help to prevent or slow Alzheimers.
: )
Demonstrates effective instructional strategies and techniques, appropriate for online education, that align with course objectives and assessment
This is an area of interest to me. I know how to teach face to face, but want to learn techniques that are appropriate to online learning and that actually help the students learn.
Creates a learning community that encourages collaboration and interaction, including student-teacher, student-student, and student-content (SREB D.2, Varvel VII.B, ITS 6.a)
There are so many resources available to include to allow for the social compnent. Ideas include googledocs, wikis, chats, etc as we learned in the first unit of this course.
Creates or selects multiple assessment instruments that are appropriate for online learning (SREB H.1, Varvel VI.C)
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?
University
Demonstrates ability to enhance academic performance
A key phrase in this is "to enhance academic performance". This means that we, as teachers, need to be utilizing these online strategies to help students learn and perform better than they would without access to these resources.
Many times teachers attempt to try something new simply to say that they've tried a new activity, but our goal with doing something new should be to improve student learning over where it has been previously.
Moodle makes it very easy to share assessment criteria, especially rubrics with students prior to an assessment so that they may know how/what they are being graded on.
I think students value learning more if they take part in assessing their own learning. Instead of just thinking they were given a grade, they know what they earned and if they reached the learning goal.
Students also get to see examples of what to do and what not to do by looking at their peer's work. I agree students will often try harder if they know their peers will see their work.
Peer motivation is a very powerful tool. Students can sometimes be harder on each other than an adult so that is why it is important to stick to agreed marking criteria so that they stay focused.
Students feel ill equipped to undertake the assessment.
The teacher would explain they are still going to grade the project, but the students are working together to improve the project before it is turned in for a grade.
It is considered fair by some students, because each student is judged on their own contribution.
This is the only way to assess group work, or you will have some students in the group not doing work. Sometimes you have where students do not let others participate.
When learners are mature, self-directed and motivated.
This is the greatest challenge for me teaching Middle School and having them evaluate each others work with maturity and staying focused on student's writing not their personal opinions.
Yes- I worry about this as well in special education. The skill deficits are large, and I worry about how to do this effectively so it's meaningful to both student evaluating and the student's work.
Amen Noel! I mentioned in a previous post that this is difficult amongst adult learners. Adolescents take this concept to a whole new level .... 180 degrees in the other direction!
I also think this can be a challenge for adults. I know for myself personally, my mindset plays a huge role in my motivation and effectiveness when peer grading.
When they self-assessed, these students reported that they checked their work, revised it, and reflected on it more generally.
The student's final project should be improved if they self evaluate. Students must be motivated to reflect and revise their own work. It is difficult sometimes to even get students to reread their work.
I also wanted to highlight this sentence. I employ this process in my class, but too many of my students take advantage of it by simply stating 'they understood the material by redoing their incorrect work." I think I need to require the last part ... a general reflection. Tell me what you got wrong, why you got it wrong, and what you did to fix it. Food for thought..
What I really like to see is the student who can self evaluate throughout the process. This not only helps them to learn the process, but it helps them to produce a better final product.
Dykstra, I agree with you. It seems to me that the reflective part is the most effective. I have students do a self reflection edit sheet, but I think if I had them really write a reflection instead, students would take the time to really think about their work.
determined that students involved in peer review perform better academically than peers graded only by their instructors
I like that research indicates that peer reviews teach students to perform better academically than graded only by instructors. It supports the peer review and self reflections topics.
feedback from an instructor, or mentor that is qualified
This makes sense to me. It is sort of like a coach of a basketball team (especially beginning basketball.) The reason there is a coach is because they have knowledge beyond what the player does and is necessary for the player to grow. I do know that players can learn from each other, but there are situations when the coach or instructor is the expert and students will learn best when evaluated by the instructor.
How do we as instructors help students to understand that revising or self-assessment is just a means towards improvement and not a step to be skipped or resisted?
I do not recommend including an option on the peer evaluation for team members to make comments about their peers.
It seems that in some situations it would be beneficial to take the time to teach students how to self-assess and peer-assess because it would save time in the future so that students ha more than one resource to help them improve.
I agree that sometimes the extra time taken to teach self-assess and peer-assess skills can be a life-long benefit because they will be required to do this as an adult. Real world jobs require people to assess their performance and their co-workers performance daily. It is part of being a responsible and respectful citizen.
The process has a degree of risk with respect to reliability of grades as peer pressure to apply elevated grades or friendships may influence the assessment, though this can be reduced if students can submit their assessments independent of the group.
I have some students on the autism spectrum who really struggle with this- that people don't like them or are mean or are "stuck up" if they give constructive feedback... accepting criticism is a difficult skill for them.
Agreed. This even applies to the students that are just awkward and have a hard time interacting with their peers. I think this has to be groups that the teacher initially chooses until the students are comfortable with the process.
I believe the learner will benefit far more by completing a self evaluation (that is well crafted to include focused self reflection questions) that forces him or her, to examine how he or she contributed [or did not] to the group process.
Is there a difference between "high achievers" and "not high achievers" here? My experience is often that the high achievers score themselves worse, although they worry about how that will affect their grade. The not high achievers sometimes inflate their score- I'm not sure if they do it on purpose or struggle to self-evaluate. These might just be my own biases, however, and not actually scientific :) I like self-reflection- I think there is meaning, especially if it opens up conversation.
There are ways of framing and then using self-assessment that can help students develop that all-important ability of looking objectively at their work and then making changes that improve its quality.
How many times did I read a paper that I turned in from college that had so many proofreading errors? It was obvious I needed to proofread, but often I just wanted to get it done and turned in. Had I been "forced" to self- asses and go back through, I'm guessing my product would have improved. Sometimes forcing the process helps...
Encourages student involvement and responsibility.
This seems obvious-- but there's no simple way to do this. Students who take some ownership of their work begin to demonstrate more responsibility in their product, but not everyone will develop this...
Focuses on the development of student’s judgment skills.
I have included self-assessment in the past, and find it interesting that many students score themselves lower than I would have done; they can be hard on themselves. I have also observed that they do reflect more on their own individual contribution to the overall group product.
Furthermore, there are many students that need remedial support in writing and communications skills, some require support in how to learn online, and how to be responsible for their own learning.
I think that the Netiquette that we cover during our online classes assists with this piece as well, and this is valuable for any age of learner. Examples can be provided as models for students which will assist them in understanding the expectations.
I have completed self-assessments in past courses in a similar manner. It can be valuable to reflect on one's work and continual improvement. As educators, reflection is a part of our practice every day. I think it is important to provide opportunities for students to see the benefits of self-assessment for the purpose of reflection.
I think that self assessment is a valuable tool. As an instructor I have looked at self assessments done by students as I grade their work. It is interesting that at times the students are harder on themselves than I would have been when I graded their work.
Showing students examples of effective and ineffective pieces of work can help to make those definitions real and relevant.
Samples are key to assist students in understanding the expectations; I mentioned this previously in a different article. I have noticed students' writing, for example, grow significantly as a result of frequent exposure to mentor texts and both peer- and self- reflection that was formative in nature. It relieves the pressure, and students begin to see the benefits.
Sometimes as teachers we feel that if we give too many examples we are just showing students how to do things and not allowing them to think for themselves. It is all about using the examples for relevance and not images to just copy.
estimate what percentage of the work he or she contributed to the project
I think having individual students estimate what percentage of the work he or she contributed to the project would be beneficial. It could help with future projects as well, in that the students who do not contribute as much or in a timely manner will be more cognizant of that in the future.
I had not considered this technique previously, that is, having students estimate contribution in terms of percentage. I think that would be an excellent strategy for individuals and team's to understand fact versus perception. I also think that designing group activities effectively helps balance workload evenly amongst participants. The instructional designer has a role in this too. If done properly, the group can still move on with the project should someone not be carrying their load, it becomes blatantly obvious however if a certain portion is not complete or is of lower quality.
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.
Encourages students to reflect on their role and contribution to the process of the group work.
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!
Encourages students to reflect on their role and contribution to the process of the group work.
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.
For peer evaluation to work effectively, the learning environment in the classroom must be supportive.
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.
Such self assessment encourages students to become independent learners and can increase their motivation.
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.
To help students develop realistic, short-term, attainable goals, instructors can use a framework like SMART goals
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.
A product portfolio is more summative in nature. It is intended for a major evaluation of some sort and is often accompanied by an oral presentation of its contents.
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.
Emphasize what students can do rather than what they cannot do
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.
The instructor provides a sample writing or speaking assignment. As a group, students determine what should be assessed and how criteria for successful completion of the communication task should be defined. Then the instructor gives students a sample completed assignment. Students assess this using the criteria they have developed, and determine how to convey feedback clearly to the fictitious student.
This is definitely an example of modeling. The instructor is giving the students and example and then using the criteria that has been developed for the feedback. I think this helps both the student and instructor to catch any issues with the criteria before the assignment is done.
This is a definite example of levels of DOK. Once a student is able to create a rubric on their own the student has moved up on the levels of knowledge.
I agree Kim. This is definitely high level and pushes people to the next lesson. I think this would create a lot of modeling/scaffodling together to get a product that you would like to see in the elementary. During rubric training years ago, it was always suggested you start with the kids. It is developed together. This would work the same as checklists. I am starting to use checklists a ton more in my classes. Even with 2nd graders...the trick is to get them to internalize it and really use them. I need to model this more.
Self evaluation has a risk of being perceived as a process of presenting inflated grades and being unreliable.
• Students feel ill equipped to undertake the assessment.
Many of these disadvantages happen because modeling how it should be done has not happened or happened well enough that the students understood the process. As with anything we want students to do it must be modeled and repeated with the students until the light bulb goes on!
A problem I have with self assessment is sometimes I don't see the errors in my writing. I may write something and wait a few days before I come back to it. If it is a project they have been spending so much time on, they might over look glaring errors just because they've seen them so many times before assessment time.
I completely agree that the modeling of these skills is important. We also cannot assume that students will catch on after only one example, some students will need to see the modeling many times over.
One of Rees’ comments within the essay “Professors in the trenches tend to hold their monopoly on evaluating their students’ work dearly, since it helps them control the classroom better by reinforcing their power and expertise,” supports a cognitive and instructor-focused learning orientation. The concept of peer review, which leaves for the most part the instructor out of the equation, aligns with the social constructivist learning orientation. There is strong support in constructivist theories for the peer review which is grounded in student-centered learning where students learn as much from the review process itself as from the final grade on an assignment.
This is the old archaic way of thinking. One of the old sayings that I remember is that "you are no longer the sage on stage, but a guide on the side" as a teacher. The thinking for some giving up that power or control is very difficult, but it should be what's best for students.
Reaching all learners is always going to be difficult. As Kim pointed out, not being "the sage on the stage" mentality is important. Then there is reality. Not all teachers/students have the growth set mindset and want to learn for learning sake. I can see how Rees side about peer review doesn't always produce high quality. As we discussed in the last module, modeling and scaffolding is the key to make it work well.
A process portfolio serves the purpose of classroom-level assessment on the part of both the instructor and the student
I believe portfolios are a great way to see student work throughout a unit, semester, or year. I've had students create a portfolio using two different methods -- as a review for a final test using a Google site and for a unit using Google slides. Both worked to demonstrate student learning but I believe I need to continue working on more ideas in this area.
Students can become better language learners when they engage in deliberate thought about what they are learning and how they are learning it.
It seems that we are always in a hurry and need to move on to the next learning target. I do believe it is important to take the time to self-assess and reflect on learning. It's also important for teachers to reflect and self-assess often.
The instructor models the technique (use of a checklist or rubric
For example, as adults we use checklists for this online class to be certain that we complete everything. Our students are busy people learning about several subjects each day. I believe if we can provide students with checklists and rubrics to remind them of where they are at in their learning, it will make the transition better.
I see this as an important issue in the classroom today. Call it what you will...autonomy, initiative, empowered...students taking charge of their own learning is easier said than done. They have to be taught, it cannot be assumed. Unfortunately, learning how to be autonomous is usually accompanied by pain. Pain in the sense that some students won't grasp the concept until they experience failure because no one was there to bail them out in the end. As a teacher, at times, I find myself swooping in to save the day and be the hero...the student's won't learn autonomy until taught how and given the opportunity to be.
I agree with you Mike, but I also feel that parents need to be taught to let their student learn autonomy. Failure is not something bad unless it becomes consistent. Learning from one's mistakes is a lifelong skill that everyone needs to learn. Parents need to learn to let students do their own work and learn from their mistakes.
students that cannot provide feedback due to the lack of necessary skills, whether it be education background or language.
What I find interesting with this discussion is the amount of time and scaffolding that needs to occur to help students become effective "assessors" both of themselves and of others. Rees points out in his blog how he spends more time teaching skills than he does content. Frankly, to successfully implement peer and self grading you have to commit to it and devote the time necessary to do it right. Teachers that only intermittently and inconsistently use peer/self assessment are often dissatisfied with the results. The problem is they are getting out of it what they put into it.
Such self assessment encourages students to become independent learners and can increase their motivation.
Students definitely need to trust each other in order to even begin the process of a peer edit. In my Writer's Studio class, there were a couple students who were writing some very personal memoirs. In order to allow them to do that, I did their first peer edit for them. Students need to feel safe when they are writing. Peer editing for those students came for the next writing.
It's awesome that you build your relationships with students and your classroom environment that they are able to share those memoirs even with you. I like how you scaffold the peer review process.
This creation of comfort with and between students supports an optimal learning environment for everyone. It will also help each student in feeling like they belong in the classroom.
I feel like the environment is something I have in place but I haven't built in the routine.
Noteworthy was the fact that none of this sample reported having any previous experiences with academic self-assessment. Not surprisingly, they didn’t value their opinions about their work and saw self-assessment as a vehicle for figuring out the teacher’s expectations.
We always had to self assess our writing assignments in college, and it was a great time to be reflective of my learning and critical of my work. I need to get better at doing this for my students.
By having an agreed criteria like a "checklist" everyone can be a expert in theory. It gives the student a task to complete in something they might not be familar with. Without set criteria your results may also be all over the board.
When operating successfully can reduce a lecturer's marking load.
This seems like the obvious reason to add this step into the writing process. There some elements that students are going to catch but by adding the peer element they should be able to catch the "big mistakes" before it is turned in.
introduce students to the concepts and elements of assessment against specified criteria in the first weeks
with instructions that they compare their impressions with other criteria such as test scores, teacher evaluations, and peers' opinions
I think this portion of the statement is crucial in facilitating student success with self or peer evaluation. Assigning students to a partner or small groups and saying now discuss and evaluate is not productive. Providing clear directives and expected outcomes creates the foundation. Students then need to take the responsibility to complete the task in order for this to be successful.
Test scores were the only way to gauge success when I was earning my college degree. Years later I was intrigued to learn (during my master's program) portfolios had become an expected assessment in higher education. Daily struggles. illness, and/or tragedies can impact results of a test. I think portfolios are effective because they can show improvement, effort, and achievement over time. Some school districts have portfolios that span the student's academic life K-12. I think depending on the intent they represent the student better than a letter grade.
Agreed! I even think about the idea of students starting a portfolio in grade school and having it follow them throughout their K-12 education to be given to them as a resume/networking portfolio upon entering the work force or when pursuing programs or further education. I'd rather see someone's portfolio than their score on a test any day.
students' progress, processes, and performance over time.
I feel like this is so important in so many classrooms but especially in a project-based class. I would be curious to see if Moodle and other LMS has a student portfolio section. I know that Schoology does and I am currently getting it ready to use for next year. Students would be able to put projects into a portfolio for a class and/or throughout their four years with myself in art as a final portfolio.
I feel that this is imperative for us to use to keep students thinking out side of the box and really honing in on other people's opinions or ideas.
rame self-assessment as an opportunity for students to reflect on their own work with the goal of learning more, making the work better, and thereby improving the chances for a good grade
I completely agree with this aspect and really feel like it is a great habit to get into as a teacher as a mid-critique of self or peer evaluated work.This really just gives an opportunity to really push the student learning even further.
Over and over again, students rejected their own judgments of their work in favor of guessing how their teacher or professor would grade it.
I can see this being a larger problem if they are using a rubric and the criteria are not well defined or the students have a poor understanding of what/they are doing what they are doing.
I can see this. Sometimes students just want to have the teachers tell them specifically what they are supposed to do. Is this a product of being in the system and programmed before they get a chance to self assess?
Also, there are other factors that can sabotage its effectiveness, including an assignment that requires a high level of critical thinking skills, or when there are students in the mix that are non-participative, or have intentions that don’t align with the course.
I applaud Morrison for including this aspect in her article. I think many educators find this to be a challenging issue when implementing peer grading. We can model and facilitate while they are in groups, but disruptive students can unbalance the whole experience. Willing and productive participants benefit from this form of assessment.
“They cited a lack of motivation and a lack of support for self-assessment among the reasons that ‘we slip.’”
This makes my educator's heart hurt. What is happening to our children? I hear it from my friends with teenagers and "adult-eens", I see it in our students, and weep for parents struggling with younger children… lack of motivation, failure to thrive or even try. Through discussions with children of all ages I'm disturbed to find many don't want to try because they fear failure. I'm an intrinsic learner. My parents had high expectations but also instilled the concept that at the end of the day we are all responsible for our own actions and outcomes. Slipping is a choice, but I want to continue to be the educator to help students rise above.
However this approach runs counter to the principles of individual accountability in group learning….
I agree. Giving every member in a group the same grade should not be done to make grading easier or take less time for the teacher. Group work usually produces at least one leader, followers and a few that lag or slack off. In previous course we discussed ways to help all students be productive, effective members in a group assignment. I found that information very helpful. Useful in a classroom setting (face to face or online) as well as with colleagues.
I would hope it is explained to the students if the instructor chooses to use this evaluation. Emphasze what peers are supposed to be rating group members and themselves can decrease or eliminate negative comments.
I agree with the focus on constructive feedback; however, I have been on a huge project in coursework and had one person do nothing the bulk of the time. It was very stressful, and the girl that didn't do the work was sweet and person I knew somewhat well. I didn't have the chance to rate our group using a sample like above. I did eventually say something to the professor. I don't know what happened after that. Modeling is the key!
Goal setting is essential because students can evaluate their progress more clearly when they have targets against which to measure their performance. In addition, students' motivation to learn increases when they have self-defined, and therefore relevant, learning goals.
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.
Portfolios are purposeful, organized, systematic collections of student work that tell the story of a student's efforts, progress, and achievement in specific areas.
I can see where the goal setting piece mentioned earlier would work well with students creating and collecting artifacts for their portfolio. The goal they create would support them in determining which items they would put in their portfolio and would help them to see growth in their learning toward their goal over time.
Love portfolios. With Google a student could save work over their school career and evaluate their writing/art/music...whatever to determine what they have improved on.
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.
I have had some success having students complete anonymous Google Forms - students felt empowered to be honest and I didn't run into issues with students ganging up on one or being mean.
Students will have a tendency to award everyone the same mark.
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.
If assessment criteria for each element are set up and clearly communicated, your role will also change to one of facilitator.
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.
Before this class their self-assessment efforts were “relatively mindless.”
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!
lift the role and status of the student from passive learner to active leaner and assessor (this also encourages a deeper approach to learning)
A student who is an active participant in their learning will develop a deeper understanding of the content and take more pride in their work. Self and peer assessments take that understanding to another level because students have to think about how to provide feedback and explain their thinking to others.
Learners have a developed set of communication skills.
Communications skills are very important in any situation. That is why it is so difficult yet important to start teaching communication skills at an early age. The more self and peer evaluating that students do will only help them develop their communication skills.
internalize the characteristics of quality work is by evaluating the work of their peers
I think this would be a great way for students to reflect on their own work, if comparing the same assignment. It would also spur them to go and edit or re-do some of their work to improve.
they need to be taught strategies for self monitoring and self assessment
Using this in data notebooks at our school. kids write the goal and then track thier progress daily/weekly/monthly. It's an easy reminder of what they are working towards.
Rubrics and checklists can be beneficial for students. In the next sentence it talks about student making their own rubric. I agree with Kim that that increases the DOK level when students create their own rubric.
become more comfortable with each other and leads to better peer feedback.
Teachers need to allow for ample opportunities to provide feedback and teachers need to give feedback to the students' feedback so they know what to improve on. The more they do so the better the peer feedback will be.
students step back from the learning process to think about their language learning strategies and their progress as language learners.
This is important for students to understand there is a connection between the learning and assessment. This makes the learning process more effective for the students.
Provides more relevant feedback to students as it is generated by their peers.
Teachers need to be aware of this and give the students exposure to different forms of assessment. This also gives more opportunity for self-reflection as was mentioned in the previous article.
guidelines were clearly outlined as to how to grade
I am glad to see that the rubric is a tool that is suggested for evaluation of a team project. I would like to see this used and even take it a step further and have the group create the rubric. This would deepen their learning and understanding.
The growth that can come from open minded, honest assessment instead of a focus on grades can be huge. This takes a lot of practice for students who are trained on letter grades.
I think many teachers don't reflect on this question enough. Assessing is a synonym for grading for most people - and you give grades because it is the end of the chapter or unit and not to provide feedback.
Effective group collaboration begins with a well defined assignment that has clear goals and expectations.
I think this is important to point out at the beginning. At first, personalized learning (I believe) makes the teacher feel irrelevant. That's not true, but it seems like it.
PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness
I think this is good to point out. These skills aren't often turned over to the kids, so they must be explicitly taught. I think self-reflection is probably the best way to instill this in students.
I was wondering the same thing, Heidi, about how this would work for elementary students. I know we want this to be as student focused as possible, but I wonder if at first PLEs are modeled with students creating a basic one that has resources they have used before and are the same as the ones the teacher modeled and as students begin to work more with it, they can add their own resources. I slow work in progress.
ckeninger, I think your idea of a modeled and guided first round is essential. That would help them see and understand the process before trying a "true" PLE.
But you do have to wonder about those kids who are not engaged and responsible... will a PLE make school harder? Or will you feel like you still invest lots of individual attention to kids who need it?
The idea of having one site to log into daily and then a pre-constructed dashboard of all the learning tools and spaces available to us seemed appealing
That seems like a good way to let groups do research on their own but still with some facilitation. Throwing lots of resources on there, teaching them how to use them and skills required (as they come up), and then turn them loose.
We set up a Symbaloo for my daughter's college search to keep all the websites handy for both of us. In a way, I felt like it was the same of just having bookmarks in a folder, but it looked cool.
I think it is a great tool if you learn to use it. I have helped people create it, but so many go to the same page every time they log in and then google everything as needed. It could be a great way to focus students and avoid surfing.
I also have never used symbaloo but find it to be very appealing. I think in the upper grade levels students would get a lot of use out of it. A question I have is how can it be successfully utilized in lower elementary classrooms? I think I could add sites that we use on computers but a lot of these sites require reading and my students are just learning how to read. Any ideas?
I am unfamiliar with Symbaloo, but can see how it would be benefical to my students as an organization tool. I also see it as a time saver for students that are researching.
I only wish that students could edit the webmix in their own accounts (and if they can, I haven’t discovered how yet), but that is really a minor wrinkle for us at this point; I also wish I could publish the webmix with a public URL accessible to non-Symbaloo users.
These seem like the types of things I was going to have them do with this. Maybe not, but at the very least these are things to look into as I explore this resources.
A PLE is the method students use to organize their self-directed online learning, including the tools they employ to gather information, conduct research, and present their findings. As the name implies, PLEs give learners a high degree of control over their work by allowing them to customize the learning experience and connect to others, including experts in the field.
This is a great definition, as others have posted... but I just continue to see pros and cons to all this self-directed online learning for so many of our kids. Good for many... not the best fit for many others.
our work must increasingly attend to supporting students in developing their skills and motivations for becoming themselves networked and sophisticated online learners
Nice! As an instructional coach, I've constantly been saying "the person talking is the person learning" (for two years!) in order to have the teachers understand that if they talk for the entire period (i.e. are the holder of all knowledge, content, and skills), all the students are getting is short term learning and dependence on the teacher. I feel like this is the same idea.
Indeed, working with students to become not only savvy consumers of media and information ("fake news?"), but working with students to sharpen the skill of organization of said information is key to their navigating an increasingly complex information-world.
I agree - however I don't know how many of my colleagues do. This all goes back to being student centered and student driven.
ou can provide a tile linking to a web page describing a number of exploratory activities a student will need to engage in, but make the path for accomplishing these activities (e.g., the numbers and types of tiles used) up to the student.
I love this and want to strive for this but this also terrifies me. I'm in the "awareness" stage of learning about PL. My concerns are, How will I truly balance this? Is it the right balance?
I'm also concerned about balance for each individual student. Some students will naturally blossom with independent learning, but others will need more consistent help until they have the skills or confidence to do more independent work (hopefully only at first, I anticipate some will need continuous support)
I love opening a highlighted section to make a comment...and there's more than just ME thinking about the "perfect balance." It means I'm not alone in being anxious about it. Part of me believes that, like SBG and common core, students will adapt and this will become second nature to them if we present it in a positive manner like we do know what's best for them- because we do. :)
as an instructor, you can make a webmix quite interactive.
There is great information describing the differences between LMS and PLE but what is a specifc example of a LMS? Would this be like our school library reference page that has specific links that students use for the states projects year after year?
Teachers are challenged to provide the appropriate balance between structured lessons and learner autonomy in order to facilitate self-directed learning
These are great questions. I have found myself wondering the same thing. For me, allowing my students to be their own learners and not depend on me is a hard concept for me to grasp. I am a kindergarten teacher. It make me question at what age is this all appropriate and how can I set up my students to be able to be successful learners on their own. Many of my students are not responsible enough to handle facilitating their own learning. Does anyone have ideas on how I can prepare them for this?
I also wonder: does it have to be an equal balance? What I mean is does the process start with a more teacher-heavy interaction, where the teacher frontloads, teaches strategies, and models; once students have that background knowledge, does the balance shift to student-centered? The balance may not always be equal, but on the whole both groups play an equal part -- just something I"m curious about as I think about how I might create this type of learning in my own class.
Agreed. The balance between human contact and online learning. Life skills learned through working and playing with each other cannot take a backseat to online skill progress.
I agree with the balance. From experience with our students and using online programs. Communication and soft skills are some of those skills that can't be learned online.
The gallery view allows you to preview webmixes before adding them to your Symbaloo dashboard.
Wow! I didn't know you could search for webmixes and then add them to your dashboard. I wonder if other teachers have created webmixes for their students to reference. A teacher could make a webmix to share with students on their personal dashboards to get them started. What a great example of the collaboration of online tools.
Wow! There are a lot of components to the Networked Student in the image below. My concern is ensuring students have the foundation for these components before they start PL. Practicing digital responsibility is an important piece. When we provide students with technology, we are giving them access to a lot of information and responsibilty. This can be positive or negative.
Ah ha! I was just wondering whether NTN's "Echo" system would be my students' PLE...nope. I'm curious to keep reading to see how Echo can blend with a PLE for my PBL students next year...
In this way, PLEs seem to mirror one defining component of PL: learned controlled. But, I would assume the "facilitator" (teacher) would also have access....
I think as we learn about how to be the facilitators in courses like this, we also need to think about how we will train our students to be this type of learner.
I think this is difficult because it shifts not only the center, but the ownership and control. The fear is what might happen if the teacher gives up control or the teacher giving up their pet project or unit that they enjoy. It is hard not to be selfish sometimes when you invest so much of yourself into something.
I truly wonder what this might look like for teachers. Would there be way more preparation or maybe less preparation is needed? The thought makes me nervous!
I agree! I feel that as students take charge of their own learning, it will mean less work for us as teachers. I am also curious of what this looks like. As a kindergarten teacher, I feel that there will need to front load what personalized learning looks like. I will still need to make sure my students are being responsible learners.
In DMPS we are moving to schools for rigor which is all about creating student centered classrooms so I wonder if this will be something that DMPS looks into as well.
I feel like it would create MORE work, but in a different way. You have to always be aware of what all of your kids are working on and touch base and provide supports as needed. Less in control of their learning, means you're less in control of what you'll be expected to do each day.
I plan to use Google Sites for the portfolio in my course, but I see Symbaloo as their dashboard/launchpad. We will use Moodle, an online textbook, and myriad online resources.
This is a huge benefit considering one of our biggest goals of teaching is to make students lifelong learners. However, what happens when students don't have access to resources outside of school?
What are these strategies? As a 4th grade teacher, I have a handful of students who struggle to work independently and trust themselves while taking control of their learning.
I agree some strategies would be helpful. I can anticipate that many students will need some frontloading or strategies in order to be successful with their first PLE.
As an elementary teacher, I think Symbaloo allows for more management. When meeting with students regarding their PL, we can find/add websites to Symbaloo together especially if they can't edit the "webmix" in their own accounts.
photo collages
Some instructors empower students to use their own mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones as a means to create PLEs.
Symbaloo,
tiles
It’s easy to use
Students can extend their learning into questions to parents, email conversations, Facebook posts or even twitter hashtags.
I hope I get a better idea of what a "webmix" is as I start the tour of Symbaloo; can't find a definition so I'm guessing it is a term used with this database.
Collaboration is key for students to get the experience of working with others especially if it is a situation that they are not in a regular education classroom environment.
Nice site that has practical tips when using Google Classroom. I like that it tells you what Classroom "isn't ". This site also has great resources for other "tech" ideas.
Through Hangouts, up to ten users can video conference at once, and the service is easily connected to existing Google+ circles, offering up a whole host of exciting ways teachers can make use of it for educational applications.