July 15, 2006
National Educational Technology Standards-NETS
To live, learn, and work successfully in an increasingly complex and information-rich society, students must be able to use technology effectively. Within an effective educational setting, technology can enable students to become:
(1) Capable information technology users
(2) Information seekers, analyzers, and evaluators
(3) Problem solvers and decision makers
(4) Creative and effective users of productivity tools
(5) Communicators, collaborators, publishers, and producers
(6) Informed, responsible, and contributing citizens
As a teacher it is important that I demonstrate my ability as an educator to facilitate technological skills to my students. I have outlined the following performance indicators:
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July 12, 2006
IT Profile-Shelbyville High School
Shelbyville High School currently has technologies that correlate to state standards so teachers and administrators can assess student proficiencies in math, reading, and writing. There is always room for improvement anytime we look at our technologies and technologies that are currently available. It is important for schools to use these tools to generate data that corresponds to NCLB and promotes learning to all of those involved in the educational process.
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July 06, 2006
Quia Assessment Tool-Technology Review #2
I downloaded and reviewed all of the assessment tools in Quia. I really like the variety of assessments that were available. Helpful tools included creating quizzes, activities, and surveys. I spent most of my time reviewing all of the types of activities that were available to create. Quia allows you to create a plethora of activities. I could not believe how simple it would be to use Quia to set up some pretty elaborate assessments. There were basic assessments such as flash cards, to scavenger hunts, even a challenge board whose layout looks like a Jeopardy board. I also liked the Quia site because it allowed you to view other assessments that had been created by teachers in different disciplines called the "shared activities area". I was very surpised at how many activities had been created in my discipline, business education. You usually cannot find a lot of "different" activities in the business education realm. There were categories for business, business law, accounting, computer applications, and computer literacy. If you would like to try out this tool click here. You can download a free 30 day trial.
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July 05, 2006
rGradeAssessment Tool-Technology Review #1
I really liked working with rGrade. I have always used tables in Word to create my rubrics. This is the first time I have been introduced to a program that would help you create rubrics. When using tables you always have to spend so much time adjusting columns/rows to get everything to fit on one page, but with rGrade that is already set-up for you. rGrade was less time consuming since all I had to do was basically type in the information. I also liked the idea of being able to align standards to the rubric with just a few clicks. Unfortunately, my content area standards were not listed, but it could be a very useful tool at our school. Our administration requires teachers with less than five years experience to post standards with lesson plans. I foresee this requirement to include all teachers in the near future. Posting rubrics with your individual lesson plans would make this task alot easier.
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June 30, 2006
Assessment Technologies-Reading Response #2
When you look up the word assessment in a thesaurus some of the synonyms that are listed include estimation, opinion, judgment and measurement. None of these words give a description of something that is definite. In the educational system we have been given standardized test to administer to our students that are concrete in nature, but have failed to determine overall student achievement. Assessing student ability is not as clear-cut as a standardized test. Standardized testing actually gives us only a glimpse of individual student ability and their potential outcomes. Assessment of student knowledge should include standardized test, but should encompass other daily strategies that would "draw reasonable inferences about what students know" (Pellegrino).
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No Child Left Behind-Reading Response #1
In the educational system, just like any other profession, teachers are being held accountable for their students' performance. I believe teachers should be responsible for the content matter and the level of achievement that is expected in their classrooms. That content matter should present relevance to the topic, ask critical thinking questions, and motivate students to achieve. Teachers should not close the door and think that their classroom becomes a forum to discuss and instill their personal, religious, and political beliefs into their students. There has to be a measurement of academic performance. The government's response to that measurement is NCLB.
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Philosophy of Education
Education is part of a cycle learning and teaching. I feel that children and adults should be encouraged to learn. Learning should not stop after one graduates from high school or college, but should be a continuous activity in our lives. Students need to be inspired by teachers, parents, and their community to reach their full potential.
Education needs to be emphasized as an important aspect of life. In today's society, success, in many instances, is measured by level of education. Without education, one's opportunities in life are all too often limited.
Education should be the primary focus of our communities and legislators. Every child has the right to be educated, but it is not always a quality education. Knowledge is something that we acquire and use to become refined citizens in our community. That puts the responsibility of education on everyone.
The role of a teacher is one of facilitator. Student's should feel that they are involved in their own education. Teacher's can encourage self-concept by having a flexible classroom where the students participate in decisions that affect them. Students, in general, are concerned about their education. As teacher's we need to enhance their ability to learn with creative and unique ways to teach the subject matter.
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