Technology and Testing:

I've been thinking about this ever since we finished with our "NCLB"-mandated testing. In Texas, it is know as "THE TAKS TEST", for Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. However, since another reality of living in Texas is spring allergies, I've been in that never-never land between can't think because my allergies are so bad and can't function because of all the medicine I'm taking to control said allergies. It's been especially bad this year as I am coming off of 7 months of off-and-0n respiratory infections after having the Swine Flu last fall.

Since I teach Special Education, a number of my students take an Accomodated Test or a Modified Test, each with its own requirements, instructions, etc. One of the greatest horrors of the testing process is the ever present fear of losing a test booklet, and with it, perhaps, your career! In the process of checking and rechecking to make sure I was doing everything correctly, I began to wonder how technology might impact the testing process in the future. In many ways, it seems that many of our present headaches could be eased. Students' tests could be individualized in many ways (large print, oral administration, etc.). I would think that it would be more economical, not to mention saving all of those innocent trees who give their existence for the making of a test booklet. Of course, the ever present problem of test security would change with the fear of hacking into the system to obtain test items or change answers, or whatever it is cyber-cheaters might come up with.

Does anyone know of a state that does this? Perhaps other countries have something similar online. I'd love to hear from someone about this.

A Post-test tired Texas teacher!

Google Earth

I really enjoyed Brenda and Jhasiim's post about Google Earth. I have used this quite a bit--both with my Spec. Ed. students as well as using it when I taught Social Studies in a co-teach classroom. Students who come from families who don't read or talk or travel much, have such a difficult time with many of the concepts in geography because they just can't visualize them. Google Earth is a wonderful tool to help students understand many aspects of geography and social studies. Map skills, such as the difference between countries and continents can be taught with Google Earth. One year when I was teaching Social Studies, our textbook mentioned various "famous attractions" throughout the state. One of these was the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, with its talking "Big Tex". Being from Dallas, I told the students how we would get a day off from school to go, how delicious the Fletcher's Corn Dogs were on the Midway, and the annual Texas-OU game in the Cotton Bowl. It so happened that this was the time of year when the fair was opened, so we went on Google Earth to see if we could spot any of the landmarks I had mentioned. Finally one of the students spotted Big Tex's hat! The class was so excited! Spotting it from a bird's-eye view was not easy. We even found the Fletcher's Corn Dog stand! One of the students was so fascinated by it that he talked his parents into taking him to the State Fair one weekend! Google Earth can help you take virtual field trips to places that you could never take a class. If you want to hear Big Tex talk, copy and paste this link:

http://www.bigtex.com/entertainment/highlights

Four Psychological Perspectives of Learning

Smaldino, Lowther, and Russell (2008), assign the responsibility of creating a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning by all students to the teacher. They define this “learning environment” to include “physical facilities, the academic and emotional atmosphere, and instructional technology.” (p. 10). While the teacher often has little, if any, control over the physical facilities, other than the arrangement of furniture within the classroom, a teacher has a tremendous amount of influence over the other aspects of the learning environment. The way teachers conduct the business of learning in the classroom has much to do with their views on how learning takes place.
Behaviorists are influenced by the work of B.F. Skinner. He proposed that learning takes place when desired behaviors are reinforced. Many computer-assisted instructional activities reflect this emphasis on producing correct responses. There is little interest in non-observable actions or thoughts. While this approach may work well with rote activities, such as memorizing mathematical facts or important dates in Social Studies, behaviorism has little to offer in the way of explaining how people process information or make inferences.
Cognitivism is based on the work of Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist. The emphasis is on how people think, how their thinking is used to solve problems and other higher level thinking processes, such as decision making as well as the development of skills to solve increasingly complex problems. As a result, cognitivists view students as more independent of the teacher. Rather than memorizing rote solutions, the cognitivist views as successful student as one who uses strategies they have developed to learn.
Constructivism takes Piaget’s ideas a step further. The responsibility of the teacher is to create situations in which students can learn through realistic activities. The teacher is a facilitator of helping students find ways for them to solve problems on their own rather than teaching them how to solve the problem itself.
Social psychology, as the name suggests, the social aspect of learning. What is the structure and motivating force of the classroom. Do students work independently in competition with one another or do they work cooperatively in groups with the success of a problem solved and the collaboration with peers valued above who finishes first or who has the highest grade.? Social psychologists such as Robert Slavin believe that not only is cooperative learning a more effect method of learning, but that it is also encourages more beneficial social interactions among learners.
In choosing appropriate technology for the classroom, teachers should strive for a variety of types in order to facilitate the different types of learning. While a computer game can be a more motivating way to learn math facts or spelling words than repetitive written practice, streaming videos, field trips, or learning centers would be more appropriate for many social studies lessons. In order for a teacher to best utilize technology in the classroom, she must be familiar not only with various types of technology, but also understand the instructional strategies each type of technology best supports.

Today's Reading Response Assignment

This year, a group of teachers (and our principal) formed an after-school reading and discussion club. We read The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. Since then, I have changed the way I teach reading, and have seen more growth with my students than ever before (did I mention that I am a Special Ed. teacher and some of my students began the year as basically non-readers?). Since I am not using a graded "reader", complete with worksheets and quizes, I have had to come up with my own activities. It has been both enjoyable and challenging to come up with activities which are valid yet within the ability of my students.

Today the students were to select a picture book, either one they have read this year or a new one which they read today, and write a new ending for it. All year, I have used a version of "Little Red Riding Hood" from our LRC as my example in modeling a new reading response assignment. The students loved making up outlandish alternate endings for this familiar story. Some of the students needed help in choosing a suitable book, and some needed help in brainstorming possible endings. They are presenting the new ending in a cartoon format. However, I am not satisfied with the cartoon programs that I can find--too limiting or too complicated. Any suggestions?

Ten Things I Like About Teaching 4th Grade

These are not necessary in order of importance, just in order of when they popped into my mind!

1. The students don't need help in the restroom (usually).

2. In Social Studies, we teach Texas History.

3. Four of the most incredible teachers to work with (they "get" Special Ed).

4. None of the testing can hold a student back.

5. Reading the stories of students who are beginning to enjoy writing--and getting good at it!

6. The look of success on a student's face when they "get" long division!

7. Field trip to Frontier Texas!

8. Watching students get excited about chapter books.

9. Students learning to be empathetic with others (at least, some of them).

10. Seeing how much they've grown the first day they are in fifth grade.