On Friday, my classmates and I had the opportunity to attend the 2014 Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) conference in Grand Rapids. I was impressed with the number of educators who participated and a bit overwhelmed at the number of sessions to choose from. I ended up attending three one-hour sessions: "Tips and Tricks for Organizing Your G-mail," "Flipping Your Math Classroom, Grades 7-12," and "Effective Strategies and Tools for the Differentiated Math Class." I had initially planned to attend a session about project-based learning, but it took a while to navigate the complicated set-up of the conference, and it was full by the time I arrived. At that point, I decided on the G-mail session that was next door. Each session provided some interesting information and sparked some ideas for my teaching practice.
The "Tips and Tricks for Organizing Your G-mail" session was not directly related to my teaching practice, but I did come away with some ideas about how to filter my e-mail as it comes in. When I am teaching full time, I plan to create a filter that sends all e-mails from parents into one folder, from students into another, and from administration into yet another. I did not know that you could create these filters just by knowing an e-mail extension or by using a few key words, and I think it will be helpful to have my inbox sort itself before I see it. My G-mail is already pretty organized with labels and stars, so this was the main take away from that session.
The "Flipping Your Math Classroom, Grades 7-12" session was probably my favorite of the three. I have been intrigued by the idea of flipping my math classroom ever since I first heard about it last semester, and this session provided another example of this model in use. I was interested to hear about the note sheets that the presenters require their students to complete as proof that they watch the videos at home. They also discussed how they use stations during class to address the fact that some students will not have watched them, some will have watched them but have a lot of questions about the material, and some will be ready to tackle application problems. Their description of this set-up had me thinking about how the flipped model can be a great tool for differentiating instruction. Finally, they provided a list of several tools for making and posting the videos, as well as using online quizzes as pre-assessments that the students complete after watching the videos the night before class.
The "Effective Strategies and Tools for the Differentiated Math Class" session was definitely interesting, but it was probably the least applicable to my own teaching practice. The presenter was from a school with very different demographics and teaching challenges than my field placement. As such, I felt that a lot of the strategies she discussed would be less effective in my classroom. For example, she uses a lot of online math games so that her students, who range from 2nd-grade to 9th-grade level in math, can all be working on something relevant. While the limited data that she shared with us seemed to support this strategy, I do not think that it would be appropriate in my classroom.
Overall, attending the conference was a solid educational experience for me. I think I would have gotten more out of it if I were deeper into my student teaching or already teaching full time. I sometimes find it difficult to think about how I could use these types of ideas in my own classroom when I am working within the constraints of my mentor teacher's set-up. I think that having more freedom to try different things and experiment with various activities and tools will open a lot of doors for me in the future. Perhaps I will get a chance to attend MACUL 2015 as a first year teacher!
Sunday, March 16
Monday, November 18
The Edublogger Experience
Let me first say that there is a wealth of information about education in the edu-blogosphere! I was initially overwhelmed by the task to find postings from two edubloggers to comment on, simply due to the sheer volume of options. Ultimately, I was helped by a comment from Jeff on one of my earlier posts that led me to the blogs of David Wees and John Golden. (Thanks, Jeff!) After reading through several entries by each of them, I decided to comment on two very different posts. The first, by David, begs the question, "Why teach math?" The second, by John, takes a look at using a mathematical learning inventory to identify what types of learners are filling the desks in your classroom.
I was immediately attracted to the first post simply by the title. This is a question that I know will shape my teaching practice for my entire career. David's thoughts about teaching math as "a way of thinking and learning" rather than as an endless toolbox of procedures prompted me to consider whether the current standards for assessing students and teachers support what's truly important in math education. What struck me the most from this post was his suggestion that teachers might be able to illustrate the "beauty and elegance of math." I can't express how many times I have struggled to explain how wonderful the patterns, logic, relationships, etc. that are so present in math are, and I am hopeful that I will be able to discuss this with other math educators throughout my career.
The second post caught my eye because I have been wondering about how to effectively implement differentiated instruction in a math classroom with a wide variety of learners. John talks about a math learning inventory that categorizes learners as mastery, interpersonal, self-expressive, or understanding, and I was hoping for some thoughts, ideas, or reflections on how to use that information to reach all four types of learners in the same classroom. I ended up posing this question in my comment, and I hope to get some feedback from John.
Overall, the experience of following two edubloggers was quite positive. Both authors covered a wide range of topics and provoked much thought on some of the issues that I have been learning about and pondering in both my education classes and my student teaching. Their thoughts and ideas are such that I would consider applying them in my own teaching practice. I now have two more blogs to follow along with Shawn Cornally's, which I explored during the summer, in my career as a high school math teacher!
I was immediately attracted to the first post simply by the title. This is a question that I know will shape my teaching practice for my entire career. David's thoughts about teaching math as "a way of thinking and learning" rather than as an endless toolbox of procedures prompted me to consider whether the current standards for assessing students and teachers support what's truly important in math education. What struck me the most from this post was his suggestion that teachers might be able to illustrate the "beauty and elegance of math." I can't express how many times I have struggled to explain how wonderful the patterns, logic, relationships, etc. that are so present in math are, and I am hopeful that I will be able to discuss this with other math educators throughout my career.
The second post caught my eye because I have been wondering about how to effectively implement differentiated instruction in a math classroom with a wide variety of learners. John talks about a math learning inventory that categorizes learners as mastery, interpersonal, self-expressive, or understanding, and I was hoping for some thoughts, ideas, or reflections on how to use that information to reach all four types of learners in the same classroom. I ended up posing this question in my comment, and I hope to get some feedback from John.
Overall, the experience of following two edubloggers was quite positive. Both authors covered a wide range of topics and provoked much thought on some of the issues that I have been learning about and pondering in both my education classes and my student teaching. Their thoughts and ideas are such that I would consider applying them in my own teaching practice. I now have two more blogs to follow along with Shawn Cornally's, which I explored during the summer, in my career as a high school math teacher!
Tech In My Placement
This class has introduced me to a multitude of ways that technology can be used in the classroom. As a result, I am considering trying things in my future teaching practice that I never thought I would before taking this class. It's very exciting (and a bit scary) to think about how I will integrate technology into my classroom and, more importantly, how I will manage it. There is one thing, however, that keeps coming up in our discussions about different technological tools and our ideas for using them in the classroom, and that is the issue of access.
After completing the "tech in my placement" survey toward the beginning of the semester, I had the opportunity to talk to a few of my fellow math majors about what they had found in their respective schools. It should not have come as a surprise that the results of the survey varied quite a bit from school to school, but I think that people sometimes forget that there will always be the "haves" and the "have nots" (and everything in between) when it comes to expensive school resources like technology. Fortunately, for the students at my field placement, access does not appear to be an issue.
The high school that I am placed at has a wonderful selection of technological resources for its students and teachers. In the large media center, students have access before, during, and after school to computers that are equipped with software for video editing, sound editing, image editing, web page authoring, and productivity tools. The internet access is unrestricted, but every teacher and student signs an agreement for appropriate use and faces consequences if they do not adhere to it.
Every individual classroom is equipped with a projector, and laptop carts are available by reservation. One complaint that I have heard regarding the laptop cart and any other technology that is available by reservation (e.g., digital cameras) is that the protocol is not always followed for using these shared resources. Some teachers will use them without properly reserving them, which could interfere with another teacher's reservation, and some teachers will keep the resources for longer than they are supposed to. In the grand scheme of things, this seems like a small price to pay for all of the resources that are available to students and teachers.
One final thing to note is that the school uses Power School, which allows parents, students, and teachers access to certain levels of information about student grades, attendance, and other important information (e.g., birthdays and health issues). The fact that parents and students can keep tabs on grades throughout the semester and report any concerns long before report cards go out seems to allow for a smoother process. All in all, I think that the students and teachers at my placement are pretty lucky in the realm of technology. I would like to see more technology use in my mentor teacher's classroom to get a more concrete idea of how a math classroom can be transformed with the use of some of the resources described above.
After completing the "tech in my placement" survey toward the beginning of the semester, I had the opportunity to talk to a few of my fellow math majors about what they had found in their respective schools. It should not have come as a surprise that the results of the survey varied quite a bit from school to school, but I think that people sometimes forget that there will always be the "haves" and the "have nots" (and everything in between) when it comes to expensive school resources like technology. Fortunately, for the students at my field placement, access does not appear to be an issue.
The high school that I am placed at has a wonderful selection of technological resources for its students and teachers. In the large media center, students have access before, during, and after school to computers that are equipped with software for video editing, sound editing, image editing, web page authoring, and productivity tools. The internet access is unrestricted, but every teacher and student signs an agreement for appropriate use and faces consequences if they do not adhere to it.
Every individual classroom is equipped with a projector, and laptop carts are available by reservation. One complaint that I have heard regarding the laptop cart and any other technology that is available by reservation (e.g., digital cameras) is that the protocol is not always followed for using these shared resources. Some teachers will use them without properly reserving them, which could interfere with another teacher's reservation, and some teachers will keep the resources for longer than they are supposed to. In the grand scheme of things, this seems like a small price to pay for all of the resources that are available to students and teachers.
One final thing to note is that the school uses Power School, which allows parents, students, and teachers access to certain levels of information about student grades, attendance, and other important information (e.g., birthdays and health issues). The fact that parents and students can keep tabs on grades throughout the semester and report any concerns long before report cards go out seems to allow for a smoother process. All in all, I think that the students and teachers at my placement are pretty lucky in the realm of technology. I would like to see more technology use in my mentor teacher's classroom to get a more concrete idea of how a math classroom can be transformed with the use of some of the resources described above.
Thursday, October 31
Flipped! (Or Not.)
I have been hearing things about flipped classrooms from several people in several places this semester. It seems to be one of those "all the rage" topics in education right now, at least for a certain community of flipped classroom enthusiasts. The basic idea is that the students watch video lectures (whether traditional teacher-in-front-of-the-whiteboard style or something more creative) at home to learn new material the day before they use it in class. What used to be done while sitting in a classroom becomes homework, and what used to be homework moves to the classroom where the students can work with their peers and ask questions of their teacher. The first time I heard about it, I believe my reaction was, "Wait...what?!"
Perhaps it goes hand in hand with my old lady-esque resistance to new technology (which I'm trying to get over), but the idea just seemed crazy to me. I must admit, though, that I wanted to learn more about it. As it turns out, three of my fellow math majors are student teaching in flipped classrooms for Algebra 2 and Geometry. They have had different experiences and challenges with it, and what worries me the most is how realistic (or not) it is to flip a classroom in a school district that doesn't provide access to computers or tablets for all of its students and doesn't have a serious issue with students not being accountable for doing their homework. If the students don't have access to the proper technology to watch the lectures or just plain don't do their homework, they will never learn the material in the first place, which prevents them from being able to use it in the classroom.
After thinking about this at different points over the past couple of months, we ended up having a guest speaker in class who flipped his Physics classroom and has created some pretty amazing videos that would be the homework. He was beyond passionate, beyond enthusiastic, and he had me with one foot firmly on the flipped classroom bandwagon and the other close behind until one of my classmates started to ask some really important questions. What if the students just don't watch the lectures? What if they don't respond to you when you express the importance of doing so? What if your class isn't an advanced course full of highly motivated upperclassmen who chose to take it? What if your students have a lot of trouble getting their hands on the technology to watch the lectures at home? What if, what if, what if?
Alas, off I jumped from the bandwagon, but my exit may not be permanent. What I need is more information about how best to implement a flipped classroom style, as well as more comprehensive data on the impact of doing so on student learning and performance. I'm still very interested in how it might be effective in some of my future math classrooms, but I'm cautious (if not a bit skeptical) for now. I do think that a flipped model could work with my accelerated Pre-Calculus students in my field placement. They're motivated, they all have access to the proper technology, and they work well in partners and small groups when asked. Quite to the contrary, I think the flipped model would fail miserably for a good portion of the ninth graders in my Algebra 1 classes. There are so many of them who don't do their homework, and I don't think that would change under the flipped model. When the homework is learning the material for the first time, as opposed to applying the material that was learned in class earlier that day, I think the stakes are too high to risk a decent portion of my students not watching the videos.
Perhaps it goes hand in hand with my old lady-esque resistance to new technology (which I'm trying to get over), but the idea just seemed crazy to me. I must admit, though, that I wanted to learn more about it. As it turns out, three of my fellow math majors are student teaching in flipped classrooms for Algebra 2 and Geometry. They have had different experiences and challenges with it, and what worries me the most is how realistic (or not) it is to flip a classroom in a school district that doesn't provide access to computers or tablets for all of its students and doesn't have a serious issue with students not being accountable for doing their homework. If the students don't have access to the proper technology to watch the lectures or just plain don't do their homework, they will never learn the material in the first place, which prevents them from being able to use it in the classroom.
After thinking about this at different points over the past couple of months, we ended up having a guest speaker in class who flipped his Physics classroom and has created some pretty amazing videos that would be the homework. He was beyond passionate, beyond enthusiastic, and he had me with one foot firmly on the flipped classroom bandwagon and the other close behind until one of my classmates started to ask some really important questions. What if the students just don't watch the lectures? What if they don't respond to you when you express the importance of doing so? What if your class isn't an advanced course full of highly motivated upperclassmen who chose to take it? What if your students have a lot of trouble getting their hands on the technology to watch the lectures at home? What if, what if, what if?
Alas, off I jumped from the bandwagon, but my exit may not be permanent. What I need is more information about how best to implement a flipped classroom style, as well as more comprehensive data on the impact of doing so on student learning and performance. I'm still very interested in how it might be effective in some of my future math classrooms, but I'm cautious (if not a bit skeptical) for now. I do think that a flipped model could work with my accelerated Pre-Calculus students in my field placement. They're motivated, they all have access to the proper technology, and they work well in partners and small groups when asked. Quite to the contrary, I think the flipped model would fail miserably for a good portion of the ninth graders in my Algebra 1 classes. There are so many of them who don't do their homework, and I don't think that would change under the flipped model. When the homework is learning the material for the first time, as opposed to applying the material that was learned in class earlier that day, I think the stakes are too high to risk a decent portion of my students not watching the videos.
Podcasting in the Classroom
Over the past several weeks, I have enjoyed listening to my classmates present on a variety of technological tools. The main focus of these presentations has been the potential for using these tools in a classroom setting, and it has been really interesting to hear everyone's ideas for using them in different content areas. The presentation that I found to be the most intriguing was the one about podcasting. I'm sure that part of the intrigue was due to the creative, engaging presentation (shout out to SB, RB, MB, and GP), but I will definitely give some credit to the tool itself.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I am quite possibly the opposite of tech savvy. I don't like to try new technology. I may even be afraid of it. However, it seems that this class is determined to make me face my fears time and again. For the most part, this has turned out well, and my mind is slowly opening to the idea of using more technology in my own classroom some day. As a future math teacher, I often struggle to think of meaningful, worthwhile tools to use in a math classroom. The ideas that my fellow math majors and I come up with feel forced a lot of the time, and I don't support the use of technology for technology's sake. I have to be honest, though. I really want to find a way to use podcasting in my math classroom.
What I really liked about the tool, (I believe my classmates used Garage Band in their presentation), was the relative ease of use and the ability to create rather sophisticated sounding products without using complicated equipment or becoming some kind of an expert. I walked away from the presentation feeling confident that I could do what my classmates had done (and they made some pretty nifty podcasts), which is not typical of me at all. The sound effects, the background tracks, the layering of different voices, it was just plain cool, and I think that students would really enjoy listening to podcasts and creating their own.
One of the ideas that the other math majors and I came up with for using podcasting in a math classroom is to have students listen to podcasts that are already out there about seeing and using math in the real world. In my brief experience as a student teacher, I have already been asked by my students multiple times about when they will really "need to use this stuff." This could be one way to answer that question. Another idea that we had was for students to create their own podcasts in small groups. They could explain a new concept knowing that their podcast would be used to introduce that concept to every section of their subject (e.g., Algebra 1). One problem with this idea is that math is a very visual subject, so it might be difficult to explain a concept only using audio. To help us with this roadblock, one of the presenters told us about vodcasting, which is basically podcasting with a visual element added in. This is something that I definitely want to explore because I see a lot of potential for getting students excited about learning a new concept and explaining it to their peers through vodcasting.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I am quite possibly the opposite of tech savvy. I don't like to try new technology. I may even be afraid of it. However, it seems that this class is determined to make me face my fears time and again. For the most part, this has turned out well, and my mind is slowly opening to the idea of using more technology in my own classroom some day. As a future math teacher, I often struggle to think of meaningful, worthwhile tools to use in a math classroom. The ideas that my fellow math majors and I come up with feel forced a lot of the time, and I don't support the use of technology for technology's sake. I have to be honest, though. I really want to find a way to use podcasting in my math classroom.
What I really liked about the tool, (I believe my classmates used Garage Band in their presentation), was the relative ease of use and the ability to create rather sophisticated sounding products without using complicated equipment or becoming some kind of an expert. I walked away from the presentation feeling confident that I could do what my classmates had done (and they made some pretty nifty podcasts), which is not typical of me at all. The sound effects, the background tracks, the layering of different voices, it was just plain cool, and I think that students would really enjoy listening to podcasts and creating their own.
One of the ideas that the other math majors and I came up with for using podcasting in a math classroom is to have students listen to podcasts that are already out there about seeing and using math in the real world. In my brief experience as a student teacher, I have already been asked by my students multiple times about when they will really "need to use this stuff." This could be one way to answer that question. Another idea that we had was for students to create their own podcasts in small groups. They could explain a new concept knowing that their podcast would be used to introduce that concept to every section of their subject (e.g., Algebra 1). One problem with this idea is that math is a very visual subject, so it might be difficult to explain a concept only using audio. To help us with this roadblock, one of the presenters told us about vodcasting, which is basically podcasting with a visual element added in. This is something that I definitely want to explore because I see a lot of potential for getting students excited about learning a new concept and explaining it to their peers through vodcasting.
Monday, September 30
The Digital Takeover: Curriculum & Portfolio Integration
In class last week, we heard from the lead Instructional Technology teacher at a local high school. He is currently spearheading an initiative to create curriculum sharing sites and student portfolios using Google tools. The initiative is in its early stages, but the goal is for every discipline area to use curriculum sharing sites and for every individual student to maintain a digital portfolio throughout all four years of high school. I was really intrigued by what they have accomplished so far and what they envision for the future. While listening to the presentation, I learned of some very clear benefits of both, but I was also left with some reservations and questions.
Having each student create a digital portfolio as a freshman and maintain it throughout high school is promising in so many ways. On a basic level, the digital portfolios cut down on the amount of paper used and make it easier for students to stay organized with less loose-leaf paper floating around in their backpacks and lockers. Using Google tools can allow for easy collaboration on group projects and efficient turnaround of teacher feedback on assignments. I was particularly struck by the speaker's point about how the digital portfolios help the students maintain ownership of their work since they are in control of who they share it with and who maintains sharing privileges at the end of each term. Not having to hand over the only copy of a paper that took three weeks to write is pretty nice. What I consider to be the biggest benefit of these portfolios is that they help prepare students for a digital world. The students will be using these types of tools in their professional lives and any further education, and it is important for them to be experienced and comfortable.
I do have a few concerns about the student portfolios. First, it is pretty clear that every student needs to spend time on a computer or tablet every day. Not every student has a computer or tablet at home, so that means they would have to use the media center before or after school. This could be difficult for students who depend on the bus to get to and from school and for students who have after-school clubs or sports. These portfolios would also be next to impossible to implement in school districts that cannot afford to furnish their schools with enough computers and tablets to support the students. Another concern I have is about how reasonable an all digital format is in a subject like math. Are the students supposed to get rid of pencil and paper work altogether? That is not very conducive to a math class.
Maintaining curriculum sharing sites for each discipline area seems like a pretty obvious win to me. Not only would the sites make it easier to spread work across all of the teachers within a discipline and leverage resources, but they also provide a perfect forum for sharing positive and negative experiences with different pieces of the curriculum and suggestions for changes. With curriculum sharing sites, it seems easier to create and maintain a common curriculum within a discipline area and to make sure that it continues to evolve and improve based on the experiences of various teachers every year. These sites could also be visible to teachers in other discipline areas, which could provide a nice opportunity to get fresh ideas and different perspectives. One other important benefit of these sites is that, by using them, the teachers become familiar with the same technology that the students are expected to use. My only concern about the curriculum sharing sites is that they may encroach on each individual teacher's freedom to make their own choices about what they do and teach in their classroom.
Having each student create a digital portfolio as a freshman and maintain it throughout high school is promising in so many ways. On a basic level, the digital portfolios cut down on the amount of paper used and make it easier for students to stay organized with less loose-leaf paper floating around in their backpacks and lockers. Using Google tools can allow for easy collaboration on group projects and efficient turnaround of teacher feedback on assignments. I was particularly struck by the speaker's point about how the digital portfolios help the students maintain ownership of their work since they are in control of who they share it with and who maintains sharing privileges at the end of each term. Not having to hand over the only copy of a paper that took three weeks to write is pretty nice. What I consider to be the biggest benefit of these portfolios is that they help prepare students for a digital world. The students will be using these types of tools in their professional lives and any further education, and it is important for them to be experienced and comfortable.
I do have a few concerns about the student portfolios. First, it is pretty clear that every student needs to spend time on a computer or tablet every day. Not every student has a computer or tablet at home, so that means they would have to use the media center before or after school. This could be difficult for students who depend on the bus to get to and from school and for students who have after-school clubs or sports. These portfolios would also be next to impossible to implement in school districts that cannot afford to furnish their schools with enough computers and tablets to support the students. Another concern I have is about how reasonable an all digital format is in a subject like math. Are the students supposed to get rid of pencil and paper work altogether? That is not very conducive to a math class.
Maintaining curriculum sharing sites for each discipline area seems like a pretty obvious win to me. Not only would the sites make it easier to spread work across all of the teachers within a discipline and leverage resources, but they also provide a perfect forum for sharing positive and negative experiences with different pieces of the curriculum and suggestions for changes. With curriculum sharing sites, it seems easier to create and maintain a common curriculum within a discipline area and to make sure that it continues to evolve and improve based on the experiences of various teachers every year. These sites could also be visible to teachers in other discipline areas, which could provide a nice opportunity to get fresh ideas and different perspectives. One other important benefit of these sites is that, by using them, the teachers become familiar with the same technology that the students are expected to use. My only concern about the curriculum sharing sites is that they may encroach on each individual teacher's freedom to make their own choices about what they do and teach in their classroom.
Thursday, August 1
Fifth Day Reactions
I've decided that "evaluation" and "assessment" are two of my least favorite words right now. Pretty much everything that has been discussed around these topics in all of my classes has brought out feelings of frustration, confusion, and even panic at times. As I was making the decision to leave the actuarial profession to pursue a career in teaching, I was aware of the tension around these issues that is so present in Michigan's educational community right now. There were even teachers in my life who told me to really think the career change over because they had become so jaded by what was going on at the policy level. Alas, I didn't let their warnings deter me. I certainly don't think I have made a mistake, but the uneasiness around teacher evaluation is becoming more and more real for me.
Learning about the Smarter Balanced Assessment that will be implemented in the spring of my first year of teaching (yikes!) was a bit shocking, especially when we discussed all of the things that students will need to know just to be able to complete the assessment at a functional level (e.g., typing, scrolling, dragging/dropping). The list kept getting longer and longer as we continued to discuss it, and it really brought to light how easy it would be to have to sacrifice lesson time that should be spent on broader curriculum goals in order to make sure that the students know what to expect from an online assessment and that they will be able to work their way through it.
Something that was made very clear is that teachers need to be thinking about these issues long before they are actually upon them. We came up with lists of things to do to get your students ready for the Smarter Balanced Assessment, as well as ways to make sure your classroom and school have the technological resources they need. These thoughts and ideas are not something that should just be shelved until the situation becomes an emergency. Too often, the "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it" mindset leads to disaster, and when your job is on the line, it's just too risky!
I've never been one to follow politics, but it has become quite evident that I need to start, especially where education is concerned. When I start meeting with my mentor teacher at the end of the summer, I plan to discuss these issues with him early on so that I can continue to familiarize myself with everything that's going on and what it could mean for my future as a teacher. After all, if I want to be able to advocate for myself, my colleagues, and/or my students, I need to be fully aware and educated!
Learning about the Smarter Balanced Assessment that will be implemented in the spring of my first year of teaching (yikes!) was a bit shocking, especially when we discussed all of the things that students will need to know just to be able to complete the assessment at a functional level (e.g., typing, scrolling, dragging/dropping). The list kept getting longer and longer as we continued to discuss it, and it really brought to light how easy it would be to have to sacrifice lesson time that should be spent on broader curriculum goals in order to make sure that the students know what to expect from an online assessment and that they will be able to work their way through it.
Something that was made very clear is that teachers need to be thinking about these issues long before they are actually upon them. We came up with lists of things to do to get your students ready for the Smarter Balanced Assessment, as well as ways to make sure your classroom and school have the technological resources they need. These thoughts and ideas are not something that should just be shelved until the situation becomes an emergency. Too often, the "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it" mindset leads to disaster, and when your job is on the line, it's just too risky!
I've never been one to follow politics, but it has become quite evident that I need to start, especially where education is concerned. When I start meeting with my mentor teacher at the end of the summer, I plan to discuss these issues with him early on so that I can continue to familiarize myself with everything that's going on and what it could mean for my future as a teacher. After all, if I want to be able to advocate for myself, my colleagues, and/or my students, I need to be fully aware and educated!
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