Creating online instruction and assessment for fourth grader learning in literacy was challenging.  The process was long and arduous, although if I’m honest with myself, I learned a great deal about the various tools I plan to use in my online instruction. I’m certain there are many more advantages and disadvantages that I did not consider while preparing my instruction, but I believe that will come with time, practice and experience.  I have learned most of all, that safety and security are my two main concerns when instructing young students utilizing online resources.  I have also concluded, that I really need to practice and start creating the classroom, online environment to really know if things will work as I hope they do.

Cybercoaching allows for goal oriented feedback with an opportunity to revise before summative evaluation. I know that I do this when students are working on projects, but unfortunately, in a math classroom where you are trying to “get through” the workbook, or through the curriculum, it’s very difficult to take the time to assist students in learning, at various levels, in a face to face situation to give them personalized attention. How can you do it as an online instructor without spending all your time on the computer?

Part of cybercoaching is to aid students in becoming independent, progressing with “confidence”, and support “student centered learning”. The reading curriculum I used this past year allowed for more student centered learning, but it was very difficult for these young students to vocalize their learning. They were still developing oral language skills, and it also took them time to process the questions asked of them. They were so used to giving answers they thought I expected, it took them at least half the school year to realize I valued their thinking. As a cybercoach, I too am trying to get at student thinking and guide them through analysis.

Bloom’s Table

We are supposed to post an update regarding our final project.  I’m not exactly sure what I’m posting.  I’m revamping my Learning Objectives.  I’m still a little confused by having to write 4 of them, but then I keep hearing they should be written in one sentence.  Can you write on clear and concise sentence using the three elements required to write a learning objective to include four objectives?

I have decided to try to prepare online instruction for fourth grade learners teaching figurative language through literacy using a variety of activities and online assessment tools to meet learning objectives.

It was difficult finding information on LiveJournal, in particular how it is used for assessment, which is the tool I had selected to research.  It would be a good collaborative tool, for high school and college leveled students, but I would not use it for anyone younger due to the risk of security if the settings are set appropriately by the user when you first start using the tool.  My teammates on the other hand seem to think it would be a good tool for younger users because of its social compatibility. It wasn’t until after I completed my page, that in my E-Learning class, I learned more about researching online and how to find reliable, valid information.

You can find the Assessment toolbox in the sidebar under blogroll entitled Assessment Toolbox Module 4.

I know it takes time to prepare performance based assessments that allow students to apply what they know. In the long run, that’s what they’ll do on the job, and in life.  Does it always have to be quantity over quality because it’s easier for the instructor?

The districts in which I have worked have been revamping all their assessments, and continue to do so, based upon performance of tests. In our PLCs this year, all we talked about was “data” and “data driven results”. Although we can use this information to find gaps in learning, we don’t change our instruction to allow for MI or differentiation. In fact, even our curriculum has become so dry, so standardized, we can’t step out of the box. Our students are missing out on so much learning, so few reasoning activities, and how to show what they’ve learned. With the standardized tests, we’ve lowered the self-esteem of our students, and foisted a great deal of anxiety and stress upon them to perform (for a test). In the grand scheme of life, will it really matter what your scores were? Or – will it matter that you can apply what you’ve learned to the real world?

As to our midterm – I spoken with four different people, and they and I seem to be interpreting the midterm expectations differently.  Perhaps because of our various experiences, we interpret what we read differently.  However, I just read an article in my other online class.  I’ve posted a link to the article http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no2/bronson_0610.htm

I would also like to share a quote from this article:  ” The final advice we would like to offer is clear attention to detail, a laser-like focus on the minutia of what you are trying to communicate.”  It’s so vital that we communicate clearly and concisely, but even more so as online instructors.  What I think makes sense to me, may not make sense to the reader.  Do we all get editors when we start teaching online?  I for one could use one.

ASSESSMENT
Assessment would be done through the use of a wiki. Students would work in groups of 3-4. Each would have a different poem to read. As a group, in their wiki, they would list by category: idiom, onomatopoeia, or personification- write the sentence or phrase beneath they found in the poem they are read , highlight the word or words that help you distinguish what it is, and explain what each means.

Concept Map AHA!

As I looked at others maps, I admired the way they turned out.  It was driving me crazy trying to figure out how others turned out so differently from mine and then I found it – I had selected the template or design version in Inspiration, while it seems as if others chose the map option in Inspiration.  So I went and played around in the mapping option, and it allowed me to do so much more, place text in there much more easily than in the version I tried.  So here’s my AHA – stick to the map option rather than template or design of your own – way so much easier!

Being able to journal also “enhances critical thinking skills” which is what we keep trying to get at as educators.  The fact that journaling should be a part of both classrooms, online and face to face, reinforces what I’ve believed in since I began teaching.

Blogs are a tremendous tool for journaling.   Given that this past year I taught primary aged students, I don’t know that I would ask them to blog, as they don’t necessarily have the computer skills to share their thoughts.  I would however, use it with 4th, 5th, 6th, and perhaps even 3rd grades, depending upon what we’re working on.  I would like students to be able to share their thinking on a math unit and let me know what they feel they’re struggling with and where they might need more help.  I can assess that all I want from homework, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the student did the homework themself, and I would hope that blogging would offer an opporunity for self-reflection and honesty.