Response to "How to Do More With Less"

 Hello Classmates!         

Infographic of blended learning.

          The article I chose to read is How to Do More With Less and includes an array of online learning tools that teachers can use in their lessons.  The article champions the idea of a flipped classroom to facilitate blending teaching.  The main idea is that teachers should be using digital content to enhance the learning process to extend outside of the classroom.  While I believe that a lot of these methods are great substitutes for formal assignments and homework, I am a little concerned about teachers assigning classroom lectures as the homework and completing the practice and application of the content in class.  Most teachers do not assign homework every night and they also try not to assign too much homework.  I think it is the generally consensus of most school-aged kids that school is not their life; they have other concerns like family, friends, sports, and hobbies.  If every classroom was flipped then students would have no time for other activities in their lives.

            Although I do not agree with the purpose of the article, I did find it to be a valuable resource filled with lots of different online learning tools and examples of their applications.  The authors provided a list of creative expression tools along with examples of how real teachers are using them in their classrooms.  One tool that really caught my interest is LiveBinder. The concept is simple: it is an online binder that allows users to classify and share digital resources like webpages, videos, and documents.  Another tool, Glogster, lets users create fun, interactive posters.  This is great for student-use, but is also a really neat way for teachers to display information for their students.  One poster included photos, videos, and even a link to an online assessment (click here for example).  Glogster would apply to NETS-T 3: model digital-age work and learning; glogster is a digital-age media format that helps teachers communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students and parents. 

-Marisa Gorczynski

Pape, L., Sheehan, T. & Worrell, C. (2012, March). How to do more with less. Learning  

& Leading with Technology, 39(6), 18-22. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/DigitalEditionMarch-April2012.aspx

Rubrics and the CCSS

Hello Classmates!

The article Assessment Rubrics provides a brief overview explaining what a rubric is and how it is beneficial to learning.  Rubrics are created by the teacher to show students what is expected in their work and also provide feedback to the student on their strengths and weaknesses.  A regular letter grade may tell the student that they got something wrong, but a rubric helps show the student exactly what they need to work on so that they can improve. Rubrics are given to the students before the assignment so that they can help guide the student through their work.  The great thing about rubrics is that they can be used in any subject, although I have personally only ever seen them used in and English classroom. I think it would be great if more teachers in different subjects areas adopted the rubric assessment because they can accommodate various classes and offer a range of quality levels.  Rubrics apply to NETS 3 Research and Information Fluency, particularly section A that states that students can use digital tools to plan strategies to guide inquiry.  Since rubrics can be used online, they are digital tools and they help guide student work by stating the teacher expectations for the given assignment.  Rubrics can even be used to organize the Common Core Standards so that anyone can easily view how student work relates to the state and federal mandates!

Comic depicting a teacher debating the cons of rubric grading

A map of which US states have adopted the CCSS

The Common Core initiatives were developed through the collaborative efforts of 48 states with the purpose of creating a set of common expectations that students are expected to learn at certain grade levels.  The Common Core State Standards create consistency from state to state and articulate international expectations for student performance.  I believe the greatest advantage of this movement is that is will help better prepare all students for future success after they leave school no matter where they may live.  Although most of the standards are similar, some of them may offer more options to students, like the eighth grade math standards.  I think one of the major roadblocks is the new instructional materials that are necessary in order to align with the new standards.  Currently the adoption of this new material has been suspended so schools do not have the proper resources to teach to these standards.  I also think there may be a long transitional period when schools in other states need to adjust their curriculums to meet the more rigorous standards.  Overall, I believe that the CCSS will help unite the country in their educational goals and will succeed in preparing more students for future successes.

Unknown. (n.d.). Assessment rubrics. Retrieved from http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/rubrics.htm

SCOE. (2010, August). Frequently asked questions regarding the common core standards. Retrieved from http://www.scoe.net/castandards/multimedia/common_core_faq.pdf

-Marisa Gorczynski

Response to "Bringing CT to K-12"

Hello Classmates!

     The article Bringing Computational Thinking to K-12 provides an outline of necessary steps for educators to incorporate CT problem solving strategies into lessons.  Barr and Stephenson claim that computer science should expand across the curricula and that many of today’s students will go on to work in fields that involve the application of computing concepts.  Together they have created a jumping point for educators to start from so that they can begin to bring to develop outreach activities and gather support for changes in a K-12 setting.

     The article provided a helpful chart that briefly outlined CT concepts and explained how they may be applied in different subjects.  For example, the concept of algorithms can be implemented in a math classroom through long division and factoring, in science by completing an experimental procedure, and in language arts through written instructions. These are activities that students are already doing in classrooms, so it would not require any additions to the curriculum.  In fact a lot of the suggestions on the chart are things that are already occurring in most classrooms. A majority of the CT curriculum would build off of standards that are already in existence. 

     I definitely think that computational learning is important and should be introduced into the K-12 curriculum.  CT learning not only teaches students about computing, it also emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving which are valuable skills all students should possess, despite their career path. Unfortunately, creating a systematic change that would incorporate CT throughout the entire K-12 experience requires an agreement at the federal, state, and local level.  I believe that the education community can one day reach a consensus on this issue, however it will probably take a long time to reach that point.  Until then, teachers can begin to make immediate minor changes to their instruction to introduce CT to their students.

-Marisa Gorczynski

Barr, V., & Stephenson, C. (2011). Bringing computational thinking to k-12: What is involved and what is the role of the computer science education community?. ACM Inroads, 2(1), 48-54.