Assessing Meaningful Learning

The first website I went to was http://www.inspiration.com/Curriculum-Integration/Kidspiration and I watched the video about Kidspiration. It sounds like an awesome classroom tool! My one concern, as someone who went to a school where we weren't taught keyboarding until 9th grade, is that if the students use the semantic mapping tool, it will take them forever to type anything. It boggles me that this program is meant for grades kindergarten through fifth grade, and they can type already! I was pecking with my index finger when I was still in Intermediate (which was 4th and 5th grade at my grade school). I see Kidspiration being more helpful for math, but maybe I'm just "old-school" and I want kids to draw out bubbles when they use semantic mapping after reading a story. (Oh, semantic mapping is when you write out characters and other elements of a story and draw lines connecting them. It looks like a web or a map when the student is done, and can be colored or filled in with art for a great classroom display.) After I realized the video for that website was 2 and a half hours long, I moved on to read about Formative Assessment. There wasn't a lot of information on that page because it wanted me to register. I think it was for a newsletter, and I didn't find any other interesting information to help me out. Here is the link for eschoolnews: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/08/25/formative-assessment-that-clicks-with-students/
The link for general rubrics was here: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html but when I clicked on it the page read "404 Not Found" So I went to the other link. http://www.rcampus.com/rubricshellc.cfm?mode=gallery&sms=publicrub It seemed much more promising. Here's a rubric I looked at: <a href='http://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=JB9W24&sp=yes'>Rubric: Play review</a>
I really like this tool because the rubric just has to be tweaked to fit the needs of the assignment I create.

As for this course, I have to say I learned a lot, even though I've been sort of unwilling to accept technology in my classroom. I'm not against it, but I know that I will not be working at a well-funded school in the future. Not every student can have an iPad or computers in their room. While it's good to use technology for education, it's a good idea to have a backup plan just in case the power goes out. Before this class I had never heard of Prezi, I wasn't sure what a podcast was, or that there were so many resources for teachers online. I am glad that I took this course to keep up with the students, but will it make me too annoying for the veteran teachers? Also, I was nervous about taking another online class, but since this uses the internet so much anyway, it really wasn't a big deal. And I am so glad that our instructor was able to reply so quickly (especially when I goofed up multiple times) and tell me what I did wrong. No doubt the things we learned in this course will be used during our careers.
So, this is my last blog for ETEC! Fare thee well, my readers, and I wish you luck in your future! I would like to sincerely thank you for reading. See you on the web!

Technology Application Standards

I will teach High School (eighth through twelfth grade) English. The TEKS objective I chose to write about is §110.52. This states, "The student applies the conventions of usage and the mechanics of written English to communicate clearly and effectively."

There are so many TEKS to cover, and I don't want to begin to imagine how I will teach all of them to about a hundred or more rowdy kids. However, that's why I am in college now, right? So, using what scant knowledge I have acquired so far, I will attempt to answer the question of how I would teach TEKS. I can utilize TEKS for Creative Writing (§110.52.b.3) by having students write creatively. I would enjoy reading a book with students in class and then reading what they thought of the book. This would also help me create discussion topics and analyze the book in a new way to help future classes. I think it is important for students to know how to write well so they can clearly share their ideas with everyone. An author who writes well will be more respected and gain more listeners than someone who disregards spelling and doesn't clarify their ideas. Anyway, these TEKS could be used in the classroom by reading the work of popular authors and imitating their style.  Also, if students read very formal writing and imitate that style, chances are it will seep into their own personal writing. I would encourage students to create small groups in class and pass around samples of their writing to the other members of their group. I would monitor their comments as they evaluated each other's spelling, capitalization, and grammar to make sure they were positively constructive.

I think that the most important TEKS would be §110.52.b.3.  "The student is expected to (A) use correct capitalization and punctuation; (B) spell with accuracy in the final draft; and © demonstrate control over grammatical elements such as subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and verb forms in the final draft." Out of A, B, and C, it is harder to decide which is the more important. None of them matter so much thanks to computer programs that automatically correct typing. However, when students hand write their papers these elements can prove vital to their overall message. I would encourage students to handwrite their papers so that I could determine if they were reaching these goals in class. It is important not to grade spelling and grammar too harshly. After all, even though these elements of writing are important, if the message is still understandable it will not prohibit the writer from accomplishing a goal. Sometimes purposely misspelling can do more good for the writing. For example, in Uncle Tom's Cabin (which I've been studying for American Literature I) or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, misspelling can help tremendously when using dialogue. I would use some of the techniques I've learned this semester, including the strategies I've already written about. I think using books as modeling is a great way to teach students how to write. If they find an author they admire and can imitate through their own creative writing, it will do wonders for their spelling and grammar. 

§110.52. Creative Writing (One-Half to One Credit).

(a)  Introduction.

(1)  The study of creative writing allows high school students to earn one-half to one credit while developing versatility as a writer. Creative Writing, a rigorous composition course, asks high school students to demonstrate their skill in such forms of writing as fictional writing, short stories, poetry, and drama. All students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the recursive nature of the writing process, effectively applying the conventions of usage and the mechanics of written English. The students' evaluation of their own writing as well as the writing of others ensures that students completing this course are able to analyze and discuss published and unpublished pieces of writing, develop peer and self-assessments for effective writing, and set their own goals as writers.

(2)  For high school students whose first language is not English, the students' native language serves as a foundation for English language acquisition and language learning.

(3)  Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

(4)  The essential knowledge and skills as well as the student expectations for Creative Writing, an elective course, are described in subsection (b) of this section.

(b)  Knowledge and skills.

(1)  The student writes for a variety of audiences and purposes to develop versatility as a writer. The student is expected to:

(A)  write expressive, informative, and persuasive literary texts effectively;

(B)  demonstrate the distinguishing characteristics of various written forms such as fictional writing, short stories, poetry, and drama in his/her own writing;

(C)  elaborate writing when appropriate such as using concrete images, figurative language, sensory observation, dialogue, and other rhetorical devices to enhance meaning;

(D)  employ various points of view to communicate effectively;

(E)  choose topics and forms to develop fluency and voice;

(F)  use word choice, sentence structure, and repetition to create tone; and

(G)  organize ideas in writing to ensure coherence, logical progression, and support for ideas.

(2)  The student selects and uses recursive writing processes for self-initiated and assigned writing. The student is expected to:

(A)  select and apply prewriting strategies to generate ideas, develop voice, and plan;

(B)  develop drafts by organizing ideas such as paragraphing, outlining, adding, and deleting;

(C)  use vocabulary, sentence structure, organization, and rhetorical devices appropriate to audience and purpose;

(D)  use effective sequence and transitions to achieve coherence and meaning;

(E)  revise drafts by rethinking content, organization, and style;

(F)  frequently refine selected pieces to publish for general and specific audiences; and

(G)  write both independently and collaboratively.

(3)  The student applies the conventions of usage and the mechanics of written English to communicate clearly and effectively. The student is expected to:

(A)  use correct capitalization and punctuation;

(B)  spell with accuracy in the final draft; and

(C)  demonstrate control over grammatical elements such as subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and verb forms in the final draft.

(4)  The student evaluates his/her own writing and the writings of others. The student is expected to:

(A)  analyze and discuss published pieces as writing models such as use of suspense, repetition for emphasis, various points of view, literary devices, and figurative language;

(B)  generate and apply peer and self-assessment; and

(C)  accumulate, review, and evaluate his/her own written work to determine its strengths and weaknesses and to set goals as a writer.

Source: The provisions of this §110.52 adopted to be effective September 1, 1998, 22 TexReg 7549; amended to be effective August 22, 2011, 35 TexReg 3261.