What I found most surprising about this presentation was that the test does not evolve based on changes in curricula, teaching methods, or new findings about the way children learn or changing definitions of literacy. I wonder along with them, what is this test really measuring? Is it an accurate indicator of ability (but then again, is any standardized test)?
I also thought it was interesting that the NAEP test results did not show any gains until high school. I wonder what possible reasons for this could be?
Other data showed by the graphs was similar to what we found in our analysis of PSSA scores...Girls consistently scored better than boys on reading, and White students scored better than minority groups.
As for the technical aspect, I thought it was well done. I liked the background they selected, and I thought they made a good use of graphs to illustrate their points.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Response to "IEP Students and Their Impact on AYP."
I wasn't very surprised to learn that the special education population is growing at a higher rate than the general education population, maybe because I work in the field of behavioral health. I always wonder how much of this is due to an actual increase in the number of children being born with special needs, and how much is due to better screening methods and the emergence of new disorders (I'm pretty sure that Asperger's Disorder wasn't even a diagnosis until 1994). I don't know if there is any way to really find this out, but it is an interesting question.
I was very surprised to see the similarity in the scores across all three school districts. I wonder if that similarity would carry over if we looked at districts closer to my area, such as Wayne Highlands or Western Wayne.
I was also very surprised about the end result to the PowerPoint - that children with IEP's do not have a negative impact on a district's PSSA scores. I had always assumed they did, and I guess part of the reason for that stems from the school district that I live (and occasionally work) in. They have always had an outstanding special education program when compared with other districts in the area. In fact, I know several parents who deliberately moved into the area so that their children could go to this school. Thus the special education population has increased quite a bit over the years, and I'm pretty sure their test scores have gone down. I always thought there was a causal relationship between the influx of special education students and the fact that standardized test scores have gone down, now I'm questioning that. One thing I do wonder about is what will happen in 2014, when schools are expected to have 100 % proficiency. Do they take into account that some of these students will never be proficient, because of their disability? Should the schools/students be penalized for that? (NO!!) Obviously, this is something that will need to be addressed.
One final note on the more technical aspects of the presentation - I thought it was very well done and appropriate for the topic. I really enjoyed the sound effects - I think that they also helped to enhance the content. Good job guys!
I was very surprised to see the similarity in the scores across all three school districts. I wonder if that similarity would carry over if we looked at districts closer to my area, such as Wayne Highlands or Western Wayne.
I was also very surprised about the end result to the PowerPoint - that children with IEP's do not have a negative impact on a district's PSSA scores. I had always assumed they did, and I guess part of the reason for that stems from the school district that I live (and occasionally work) in. They have always had an outstanding special education program when compared with other districts in the area. In fact, I know several parents who deliberately moved into the area so that their children could go to this school. Thus the special education population has increased quite a bit over the years, and I'm pretty sure their test scores have gone down. I always thought there was a causal relationship between the influx of special education students and the fact that standardized test scores have gone down, now I'm questioning that. One thing I do wonder about is what will happen in 2014, when schools are expected to have 100 % proficiency. Do they take into account that some of these students will never be proficient, because of their disability? Should the schools/students be penalized for that? (NO!!) Obviously, this is something that will need to be addressed.
One final note on the more technical aspects of the presentation - I thought it was very well done and appropriate for the topic. I really enjoyed the sound effects - I think that they also helped to enhance the content. Good job guys!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
The use of PowerPoint, Excel, and Webquests to enhance student learning
When looking at the previous class' projects, I first examined a sight words PowerPoint geared at kindergarten students paired with an Excel spreadsheet where they could record their scores. I thought that this would be very effective if used in a classroom. Sight words are learned through memorization, and the PowerPoint presented them in a way that was more visually appealing than a word list would be. I also liked how the PowerPoint used Clip Art and animation to help students understand the meaning of certain words, such as under and on. The Excel spreadsheet that accompanied the PowerPoint was presented in a way that would be very user-friendly for young children. The print was very large and each column was color coded to match the graph. I thought that this activity was effective because not only did it allow students to become familiar with Excel and making graphs, it also provided them with a clear visual to examine their progress over time, and compare the number of words they had already learned with how many they would learn by the end of the year, thereby motivating them to continue to practice their sight words.
By this time my three year old had come in to investigate why Mommy was hogging the computer. When he saw the PowerPoint, he assumed it was a game, and immediately asked if he could do one. I brought up the PowerPoint on shapes (something he struggles with at times) and sat him down. He was able to navigate through the entire presentation with ease. He was totally engaged the entire time. Not only did he understand the different shapes presented, he was also able to recognize patterns and choose which shapes would complete a sequence. Just in case I needed more evidence that technology can enhance learning!
We then moved on to the PowerPoint on rain forests, geared at third grade. This is a topic of interest in my household, so my son and I were both very excited to see what we could learn. I thought that this presentation was filled with wonderful information. It was interactive, providing questions for students to think about. It had some terrific photos, and raised some really good points (for example, I don't know if young children realize that there are a lot of similarities between our culture an those of people living in other parts of the world. The PowerPoint took time to address this notion). There was one problem with the PowerPoint - I could not get it to work properly! One minute, there would be a blank screen. One click of the mouse, and the screen would be full of graphics on top of writing overlapping questions covering pictures. I would try to find a way to go back and start that slide over again, and would find myself in a completely different spot within the presentation. Needless to say, by this time my son had lost all interest in the rain forest and moved on to his action figures, and I was also ready to call it quits. This experience reminded me of an important point we need to remember about technology - it doesn't always work the way we want it to. Therefore when using it in the classroom, we need to a) make sure it is really worth the effort; b) be flexible and expect the unexpected; and c) have a backup plan.
Not yet ready to give up on the rain forest, I decided to work through the web quest. I really liked many things about this web quest. I thought the language and the task were very accessible for third graders. I also thought that the graphic organizers were appropriate and would help students effectively organize their information for later use. The website that the designer used appeared to be reputable and accurate. Lastly, I thought that the final writing assignment provided a creative opportunity for students to synthesize what they had learned. It also provided a review and practice of the friendly letter format, something students will use later on in life. I also liked how the designer incorporated a Wiki space into the final product.
This web quest did raise one important question for me. Although I liked the website the designer chose, I wonder if a true web quest should incorporate more than one website for its resources. This would then allow students to practice gathering and evaluating information from websites, also a skill they will need throughout their life. I was also a little unclear on how the Wiki aspect of the web quest worked, although I suspect that most of my confusion stems from the fact that I am still learning about Wiki spaces. I wonder if the expectations would have been clearer if I had been able to see this lesson actually being taught.
In sum, I learned a lot from reviewing these projects. I think that all three of the formats reviewed can be used very effectively in a classroom, with a variety of ages, ability levels, and content. I think that when used effectively they can help make learning more efficient and enjoyable, as evidenced by my son's navigation of the PowerPoint. I also recognize that the use of these programs in the classroom needs to be well thought out and the costs and benefits carefully weighed. I also saw firsthand through my exploration of the rain forest PowerPoint that even the best laid plans sometimes fall short, and we need to be prepared to deal with glitches (and maybe even turn them into learning experiences themselves). I hope to keep all of these points in mind when designing my own lessons.
By this time my three year old had come in to investigate why Mommy was hogging the computer. When he saw the PowerPoint, he assumed it was a game, and immediately asked if he could do one. I brought up the PowerPoint on shapes (something he struggles with at times) and sat him down. He was able to navigate through the entire presentation with ease. He was totally engaged the entire time. Not only did he understand the different shapes presented, he was also able to recognize patterns and choose which shapes would complete a sequence. Just in case I needed more evidence that technology can enhance learning!
We then moved on to the PowerPoint on rain forests, geared at third grade. This is a topic of interest in my household, so my son and I were both very excited to see what we could learn. I thought that this presentation was filled with wonderful information. It was interactive, providing questions for students to think about. It had some terrific photos, and raised some really good points (for example, I don't know if young children realize that there are a lot of similarities between our culture an those of people living in other parts of the world. The PowerPoint took time to address this notion). There was one problem with the PowerPoint - I could not get it to work properly! One minute, there would be a blank screen. One click of the mouse, and the screen would be full of graphics on top of writing overlapping questions covering pictures. I would try to find a way to go back and start that slide over again, and would find myself in a completely different spot within the presentation. Needless to say, by this time my son had lost all interest in the rain forest and moved on to his action figures, and I was also ready to call it quits. This experience reminded me of an important point we need to remember about technology - it doesn't always work the way we want it to. Therefore when using it in the classroom, we need to a) make sure it is really worth the effort; b) be flexible and expect the unexpected; and c) have a backup plan.
Not yet ready to give up on the rain forest, I decided to work through the web quest. I really liked many things about this web quest. I thought the language and the task were very accessible for third graders. I also thought that the graphic organizers were appropriate and would help students effectively organize their information for later use. The website that the designer used appeared to be reputable and accurate. Lastly, I thought that the final writing assignment provided a creative opportunity for students to synthesize what they had learned. It also provided a review and practice of the friendly letter format, something students will use later on in life. I also liked how the designer incorporated a Wiki space into the final product.
This web quest did raise one important question for me. Although I liked the website the designer chose, I wonder if a true web quest should incorporate more than one website for its resources. This would then allow students to practice gathering and evaluating information from websites, also a skill they will need throughout their life. I was also a little unclear on how the Wiki aspect of the web quest worked, although I suspect that most of my confusion stems from the fact that I am still learning about Wiki spaces. I wonder if the expectations would have been clearer if I had been able to see this lesson actually being taught.
In sum, I learned a lot from reviewing these projects. I think that all three of the formats reviewed can be used very effectively in a classroom, with a variety of ages, ability levels, and content. I think that when used effectively they can help make learning more efficient and enjoyable, as evidenced by my son's navigation of the PowerPoint. I also recognize that the use of these programs in the classroom needs to be well thought out and the costs and benefits carefully weighed. I also saw firsthand through my exploration of the rain forest PowerPoint that even the best laid plans sometimes fall short, and we need to be prepared to deal with glitches (and maybe even turn them into learning experiences themselves). I hope to keep all of these points in mind when designing my own lessons.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Technology in Education
My feelings on this topic have certainly evolved quite a bit over the past few years. In the past, I was markedly "anti-technology." I owned a computer for the sole purpose of typing papers for school. I did not have Internet hookup in my dorm room. I did not e-mail, instant message, or web surf. When visiting the homes of my more techno-savvy friends, my eyes would begin to glaze over at the mere mention of hard drives or gigabytes. Part of my resistance stemmed from the fact that I felt that these new forms of media were detracting from more traditional formats, such as books and letters (I mean tangible, handwritten on paper and mailed with a stamp kind of letters.) My (paranoid) mind would begin to concoct images of a future akin to the one described in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and it was more than I could stand. I held fast to my opinion that technology was something to be feared for many years. Then, two years ago, I had the privilege of working alongside a very gifted teacher who made it her mission to change my view on technology, especially as it is used in the classroom.
This teacher, Mrs. W., taught both English and Social Studies in a sixth grade classroom. Her classroom, and her lessons, were rich in technology. I watched as over the course of a year she had her students doing everything from creating concept maps on palm pilots to navigating through web quests to designing their own PowerPoints. Her students appeared more engaged than they otherwise may have been. They were able to explore and expand on the lesson content in ways not previously thought of. They gained a better understanding of the different ways in which technology could be used. And after all of this, Mrs. W. simply looked at me and asked, "Have I changed your mind at all?"
She had. But there was still so much I had to learn. Remember, I am a person who spent her entire life avoiding all things digital. If I was now going to delve into this foreign world of IT with the hopes of one day using it in my own classroom, I knew I would have my work cut out for me. Over the past year, I have spent more time playing with technology, and have grown a bit more comfortable. I designed my first PowerPoint on reading fluency, and I also designed a web quest on sea turtles that I used in a first grade learning support classroom. The kids loved it, and they really learned so much more than they had from previous classes on the topic. In putting together these different projects, and in watching the children work through them, I realized that I had been fully converted. Mrs. W. would be proud.
So what are my feelings on technology in education? I think that technology, if used correctly, is something that can enrich and support students' learning, not detract from it. First of all, there is something about technology that is very motivating to students. In my experience, children appear more enthusiastic and attentive when working on the computer. I also think that using technology in the classroom can provide students with unique educational experiences, such as taking a virtual field trip or designing a blog or e-zine. Finally, I think that part of preparing our students for the future means preparing them to navigate effectively in a world that is permeated by digital media.
I also think that we as educators have a responsibility to use technology wisely. While I recognize that technology can help to enhance student learning, I also believe that it is by no means a substitute for quality instruction. Using technology in the classroom is something that requires both time and energy. If we as educators are to invest this time and energy, I believe we need to ensure that what we are doing truly will enhance our students' overall learning experience in a way that other forms of media cannot.
That having been said, I look forward to learning more about the various ways to use technology in the classroom, and to applying that knowledge.
This teacher, Mrs. W., taught both English and Social Studies in a sixth grade classroom. Her classroom, and her lessons, were rich in technology. I watched as over the course of a year she had her students doing everything from creating concept maps on palm pilots to navigating through web quests to designing their own PowerPoints. Her students appeared more engaged than they otherwise may have been. They were able to explore and expand on the lesson content in ways not previously thought of. They gained a better understanding of the different ways in which technology could be used. And after all of this, Mrs. W. simply looked at me and asked, "Have I changed your mind at all?"
She had. But there was still so much I had to learn. Remember, I am a person who spent her entire life avoiding all things digital. If I was now going to delve into this foreign world of IT with the hopes of one day using it in my own classroom, I knew I would have my work cut out for me. Over the past year, I have spent more time playing with technology, and have grown a bit more comfortable. I designed my first PowerPoint on reading fluency, and I also designed a web quest on sea turtles that I used in a first grade learning support classroom. The kids loved it, and they really learned so much more than they had from previous classes on the topic. In putting together these different projects, and in watching the children work through them, I realized that I had been fully converted. Mrs. W. would be proud.
So what are my feelings on technology in education? I think that technology, if used correctly, is something that can enrich and support students' learning, not detract from it. First of all, there is something about technology that is very motivating to students. In my experience, children appear more enthusiastic and attentive when working on the computer. I also think that using technology in the classroom can provide students with unique educational experiences, such as taking a virtual field trip or designing a blog or e-zine. Finally, I think that part of preparing our students for the future means preparing them to navigate effectively in a world that is permeated by digital media.
I also think that we as educators have a responsibility to use technology wisely. While I recognize that technology can help to enhance student learning, I also believe that it is by no means a substitute for quality instruction. Using technology in the classroom is something that requires both time and energy. If we as educators are to invest this time and energy, I believe we need to ensure that what we are doing truly will enhance our students' overall learning experience in a way that other forms of media cannot.
That having been said, I look forward to learning more about the various ways to use technology in the classroom, and to applying that knowledge.
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