Using Assessment in My Classroom

Assessment is an important part of teaching. Teachers must know how well their students are doing and evaluate whether or not they have learned the content. Formative assessment often takes place during the learning process and enables the teacher to gauge how well the students are learning. The results of formative assessment allow the teacher to improve the lessons to meet the students’ needs.  Examples of formative assessment could be having the students make posters of what they learned, writing an essay on a specific aspect of the lesson, or using other mediums. Summative assessment generally takes place following a unit or lesson. This is to evaluate whether or not students met the required level of knowledge.  Examples of summative assessment are quizzes, standardized tests, etc. Both of these assessments are helpful. I would use formative assessment throughout a unit so that I could make adjustments. At the end, I would do a summative assessment in order to see where each student is at and whether or not there could be special needs. Technology can also be used to assist both of these. There are growing new technologies that can give students the chance to respond to questions, create projects, write up responses, etc.

Organizations and Unions

One of the resources available to teachers and education students is the support provided by an organization. These professional organizations can provide the member with needed support, resources, information on current events, and many other things. There are quite a few that are applicable to my field. The AERA is the American Educational Research Association. This organization works with the studies and research that are done concerning education. The members pay $150 or $40 if you are a student. The advantages for AERA consist primarily upon the up-to-date data and research available for teachers. Another organization that I found interesting was the NABT, the National Association for Beginning Teachers. This organization was created to give teachers a support during their first few years of teaching. The group enables teachers to join forums, receive advice and ideas, and have access to resources for the classroom. This organization runs through donations and does not have a membership fee. A third organization I am interested in is NCEA, the National Catholic Educators Association. Since I am pursuing a career in religious schools, I am interested in the resources offered by this organization. NCEA provides members with academic, intellectual, and financial opportunities. The cost varies depending on the level of enrollment. Students pay $80 for an individual membership. Teachers may be included in a institutional membership or they may pay $170.
Teaching is a job that is constantly changing and having organizations like the AERA, NABT, and the NCEA are helpful for remaining a current and up-to-date teacher.

Teaching and the Digital Divide

 My Lessons on Maps

I see the digital divide as a source of separation for many students. Some students may be very well versed with technology (perhaps even surpassing their teacher!) while others may not have a computer at home or have much experience using one. Because of this, I think it will be important for teachers in this modern age to expose and instruct students in how to use these tools well. Most schools have some sort of computer class, but I think they can be incorporated into the students' core instruction. By using computers to instruct, children will become more comfortable with them. We can inform them where computers and internet access is available free of charge, such as a local library. This will create a system where people are given opportunities to access the same information and tools as those children who may have a home/personal computer.

Mind Mapping

Ideas for a Lesson on Reading Maps

Bloom's Taxonomy provides a wonderful way to guide learning. It provides a framwork for understanding how our minds retains information and how to form educational objectives. Mind maps are ways to organize our thoughts so that we can come up with ideas on a topic. This is very useful for teachers so that they can plan their lessons based upon these these principles. By using online mind mapping tools, such as Popplet, teachers can successfully create diagrams that help to organize their thoughts to create a more complete and in-depth lesson plan.

Cyber safety is such an important issue today, especially in schools. While the Internet offers so many opportunities, it also can be a dangerous place for children at times. Bullying and inappropriate content  are becoming more and more relevant today. For my poster, I wanted to create a poster that would provide questions that students can ask themselves. It is designed to be a sort of self-check to enhance awareness in the minds of young people who spend a lot of time on the Web. When I am a teacher, I want to encourage safe and appropriate use of the Internet so that students can enjoy the benefits of being connected. I would share with parents my classroom rules for web use and encourage them to implement similar measures at home. I would encourage them to ask the questions at home as well. Since cyber bullying is such an issue, I think that monitoring the computers that students are using, helping them be aware of when a situation may become a bullying situation, and teaching them the tools to know how to respond.

Teaching Children in all Areas of Life

For my BookBuilder project, I endeavored to show how virtues can be taught to children of all different faiths and backgrounds. I propose that virtues are life skills that can be taught to students and children to help them grow into well-balanced individuals. They are universal to the degree that they can be applied to every age range and background. Teaching the virtues can engage children in making good choices and can build upon the child's natural and prior knowledge of making good choices and building good habits.
To see my book, please visit the site below:
http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=56850&page=1

What to do with Social Media

Social media covers a wide expanse of internet use. In its most basic form, it can be defined as anything that allows individuals to socialize with one another using media as a form of communication. Social media is extremely popular and is gaining force throughout the United States.
I believe that social media can be used in the classroom. It will engage students, most of whom will be familiar with using the internet as a means of education. I would use it to supplement my lessons and to provide a place where more sharing of information and learning can take place. I feel that some things are appropriate for classroom use, like the sites above. I would refrain from using Facebook, since it is too much of a distraction and may interfere with the appropriate student/teacher relationship. I would personally like to seperate my personal life from my work as a teacher. I would hesitate to accept a student as a "friend" who can access all types of information. Also, I believe that it can be too easy for a teacher or a student to pursue a relationship that may be inappropratie.