Who Knew Grading Could Be So Easy

After using Engrade.com for its grading system, attendance, calendar, and some of the other features I found it rather easy to use. The only thing I did not do was print access code flyers for the students to have access to grades, etc. The students and grades I used were for a real 6th grade summer school math class which is why I used only the first initial of the last name. I based the dates of the assignments on July summer school days and used every other day for a due date. I found that I liked all of the features of the program. It took me a little while to figure out how to post a grade since I thought I had already entered the assignments, but once I did I was on a roll. The program was easy to use and the introductory tutorial was a great help and very simple to follow along with. I like that when entering grades the teacher has the option to mark the student as either missing or being exempt from the assignment. Depending on the option that is chosen could allow the student's grade to be added later. I also liked that there were several options on how the grades can be applied (percentages, tens, etc.). Having a calendar is nice for the teacher, students, and parents to keep track of work and due dates. Overall it is convenient to have access to a gradebook, class attendance, a calendar, and viewing student access in one area. I did not like that after I entered assignments while setting up the class that I later needed to reenter the information in order for it to appear in the gradebook. I thought it would be applied from the first entry. If there was one thing I would like to improve it would be creating different codes for parents and students. I feel that the parents should be able to view more than what the students do. Engrade would be useful for classroom teachers because it is nice and easy to have everything in one place rather than having to record everything in multiple areas and that the parents and students can see exactly what is going on and when. Parents and students would like this software because if a student misses school they would be able to see what work was missed and/or due. They would also be able to see when other assignments, tests, or quizzes are due. Parents would like the software because nowadays parents are not able to go to open houses or other school functions because of work and other schedule conflicts. By having access to this software parents would be able to see what their child is doing, when it is due, and if the child was absent when they thought their child was in school. This is my first time using any kind of grading system and overall I find it to be very useful. It's different areas make it easier for teachers to keep track of what the students are doing as well as when the students access their accounts. It is also convenient when talking to parents to be able to show them everything and explain to them that they can also view their child's work.

Student-Centered Class

After listening to Dr. Peggy Grant, PhD, I was surprised at how strongly she feels against student-centered classrooms. She feels that teachers are not encouraged to be risk takers and that they are scared because they do not know what will happen. Student-centered classes are an accident waiting to happen and that teachers need to feel control. I felt this was strong and harsh. Student-centered classes can be incorporated into certain parts of a lesson plan, not the whole class. By making this the focus of a whole class a teacher would certainly need to be prepared for the unexpected. This particular class format may be beneficial for some learners who need a little less structure. Dr. Grant needs to spread her wings and give her students a little freedom and creativity, but with her guidance. Perhaps then she will realize that a student-centered class is not as scary and unpredictable as she thinks.

Different Crosswords

After completing both the A4 assignment and the HA4 assignment I don't know which way I like making crossword puzzles better. There are many programs available to make cwp's and some are free while others require registration or passwords. I have used Excel, Armored Penguins, and a type of Puzzle Maker. I found both of these assignments exciting at first, but by time I was finished I was so frustrated and spent so much time on them that I had little time to do other work. I liked the organization of Excel when I was finally able to save it as a jpeg, but changing to this format was tricky if not difficult. Armored Penguins was easy to insert the information, but again to save it to another format required me to copy and paste into a word document then copy and paste again into paint in order to save as a jpeg. Even though I found these assignments to be more difficult than anticipated, I would use one of the free web programs to make any future puzzles and just print and copy the final result as well as the answers.

Making a crossword puzzle

Using software along with teaching subject areas can be an asset to a classroom depending on the program and the class. For example, Excel would be best used for a math classroom to have students make charts, graphs, and spreadsheets. Word can be used in just about every subject area. There are few exceptions to this. At the same time it can also be beneficial to teach the different softwares separate from the subject areas in a computer lab. By using a computer lab students can focus on how to use the software and where it can be incorporated in their school and other aspects of daily life. After learning this, then the students can apply this knowledge to the classroom. No, this project would not help students to learn how to use Excel and vocabulary. Excel should be taught for math and any other related courses, but definitely not for a project such as this. I found this to be extremely frustrating and feel that students might have as difficult a time. Next time I would have students use an online site that allows them to make free crossword puzzles. These sites would of course be approved by the teacher and the district. There are other options available for such a task, but using Excel is an absolute NO.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

While listening to Sir Ken Robinson talk about education, he brought up some points that I had not put any thought to. He stated that there were three areas of education: first, human creativity; second, we don't know about the future; and third, capacities for innovation. When we think about it we realize how important education is. It is incorporated into every aspect of our lives-family, friendships, work, and so on. Robinson compared education to being as deep as religion and money and just as important. We use education to teach children for a world we do not know. As adults we do not know what will happen tomorrow so how are we to know what will happen in 20, 30, or 40 years? And educate our children and students for such a world? Robinson stated that "creativity is as important as literacy". As children we are extremely creative and not afraid to make mistakes. In fact, making mistakes is part of our education. However, mistakes often make children afraid to be creative and this is something they tend to lose as they get older. The world needs more creativity. Robinson also gave a brief history into public education. He said that public education did not exist before the 19th century and only came about because of the Industrial Revolution. Today, we are in a new world and a new Industrial Revolution. This will only continue to expand. It used to be that many jobs required a degree. Now, the degrees are worth nothing and/or higher degrees are needed. He felt that the only reason for public education was to produce university professors because education used the head but slightly to one side. Sir Robinson made some very strong statements that I agree with. One is that intelligence is distinct. Each one of us has a different level of intelligence and some people are still not afraid to show their creativity. We must use the gift of human imagination wisely. This is all too true. Without imagination we would never be able to dream the dreams that make us strive for what we want to be. Imagination gives us a sense of determination. Finally, children are our hope and that we must educate them for the future to make something of it.

WebQuest or Web Inquiry Project

Who knew there were so many technological ways of studying on the internet. If you wanted to know something you went to Google or another browser for information until you found what it was you were looking for. Then came WebQuests and now Web Inquiry Projects. What's the difference you ask? A WebQuest (WQ) is a form of scaffolded instruction by which a student learns information by doing a particular task with provided links and resources. The students are guided through the quest until they accomplish what was set out for them to do. Web Inquiry Projects (WIP) are a more challenging way for students to learn rather than having it given to them in a WebQuest. Students are urged to actively pursue the information they are in search of. The data is usually "uninterpreted" and includes weather, sports, and music. By using a WIP students might be more interested in learning the material in the curriculum rather than having it given to them. This would be especially true with the new generation of Digital Natives who need information at their finger tips. Web Inquiry Projects will most likely take the place of Webquests as students become more active in their education. WIP's "prepare kids to be independent inquirers" and move away from the dependency of WebQuests.

Learning Theories

Learning theories can be broken into three categories-behavior, cognitive, and social. Some might say that one is more important than another, but I feel that they need to act together for students to achieve the best outcome. In the social learning theory students learn to behave according to their surroundings. It may be from watching others (modeled behaviors) or from the environment in which they live and go to school (learning environment). In behavioral learning theory one can probably recall Pavlov's test with dogs, food, and the bell. This was a perfect example of classical conditioning. For some this type of conditioning may not be appropriate or just feel that there may be a better example. This other example could be in operant conditioning when a person has a particular reaction to a designated stimulus. For many people cognitive learning theory is the most important. This is the way a person thinks and the impact they may have on themselves, others, and the world in general. Cognitive learning can help to achieve a better society and give insight to the goal of human thinking. The learning theories concept map is a good source of information to help see the three major theories in a simpler format and as a reference tool.