Are tests the only objective assessments?

      Objective assessments are very important since they help to standardize scores and really help the students understand what they know. Tests are the most common form of objective assessment, but they are not the only ones. With some creativity and thought, a teacher can create a different type of assessment and a rubric for it. Using a rubric, as long as it is well written, will help to make a project objective. For example, asking students to create a model of the Earth can be seen as a very subjective task. By including a rubric such as the following, the task has now been pulled into the more objective realm.

       Creating a rubric that makes a project objective can be a very difficult task, but it is well worth the time.  To create an objective rubric, the teacher must think about what knowledge and skills the student will need to present during the project.  Think about what would be assessed during a standard test.  Begin with the basics of what would make an average grade and place that into the rubric, then add details that you would expect to see for a little above average and really above average.  By allowing students to see the rubric and discussing it with them before they begin the project, they will know exactly what you are looking for and it will not be as subjective as it was before. 

What does a technology-infused classroom look like?

Technology is a very important aspect of a 21^st century classroom because the careers that our students will be heading into will be more technologically advanced than any careers in history.  A technology-infused classroom will simply be a classroom in which computers are a common way of life.  If computers are a common element to the students, they will be able to interact with them more smoothly.  A common set of computers will make this interaction easier to work with and allow students to create products on the computers that would normally be created by pencil and paper. 

The products that students can create in a technology-infused classroom are endless based on the programs and projects that the students are allowed to work with.  By giving the students the proper resources and reasons to use them, a teacher can create a more realistic classroom that the students will be interested in and find useful later on in their lives.  These projects can be stressful for a teacher to work with since the students and teacher may be working with tools that they are not familiar with, but with a little scaffolding about the program the teacher can prepare the students for future projects.  

Internet in the Classroom

The Web and the Classroom Podcast

Visual literacy through technology is very important for today’s classroom. Most of the research in today’s world is done through the internet, both positively and negatively. We should use many of these same methods since this is the way that the students will learn in the future. This has impacted the teaching profession by causing an evolution of ideas about modern pedagogy in which the idea of standing in front of a classroom and lecturing is now just a thing of the past.
The use of visual-thinking strategies can help students figure out processes and connect concepts throughout their education. Thinking Maps are a major form of visual-thinking strategy that allow students to create individualized, graphic organizer style tools to sort through different types of data. The internet can be very helpful with this type of tool since it will help students find the research that they may need to connect the concepts of the content area.

These main forms of Thinking Maps can be used for any visual-thinking strategy.

Technology allows students to learn the same way proffesionals do!

The world today is full of many different types of technology and learning experiences.  Students have evolved to learn in the many different ways of the world, so our classrooms must change also.  Gone are the days of a teacher standing in front of a room and lecturing for the entire period as students very studiously take notes and glean all of the information they need to know.  Today’s children learn more effectively through a large selection of styles and through a very fast paced learning experience.  Having students experience the concepts that they are learning is a very important aspect of learning; students should be able to leave the education system with a good understanding of what working in a specific field entails.  

                The main change that has occurred in education is technological.  Individuals can now complete almost any activity without having to interact with another person.  Online banking, self-checkouts at the grocery store, and automated USPS machines are examples of services that have now moved to technological, non-human based services.  With the idea that technology is a major part of the world, it must also be a major part of the classroom.  The role of a teacher has changed in much the same way that the role of bank tellers, grocery store clerks, and Postal Service workers have; we must help facilitate and problem-solve for the activities that students will need to complete to learn the concepts of our curriculum.  By giving the students the proper tools to solve a given problem and being available to help the students through any problems, we are giving them a real-world experience that they will begin to encounter more and more regularly.

Students learned about Chemistry in a real world way as the class moved into the kitchen to discuss heat transfer.