ACTIVITIES

This space is for all the various activities we were required to complete.

(July 20 - August 5)

Link to My Final Project
This has been a monumental undertaking. It was a challenging task to put all that we've learned into a project. I have learned a lot.

Below are a few readings that stand out for me. They have helped me to understand the role of assessment in learning in general and online in particular.

         

n    Brandon, B. (2004, June 29). Applying instructional Systems Processes to Constructivitst 

     Learning Environments. The eLearning Developers' Journal, 2-9.

Buhagiar M. (2007, March). Classroom Assessment Within the Alternative Assessment Paradigm: Revisiting the Territory. The Curriculum Journal 18(1), pp 39-56.

Du, Helen S., and Christian Wagner. (2007, March). “Learning with weblogs: Enhancing Cognitive and Social Knowledge Construction.” IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication. 50(1), 1-16

Petersen, N. J. (2005, February). Cybercoaching: Rubrics, feedback, &
 metacognition, oh my! Paper presented at E.C. Moore Symposium on
 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Indiana University, IN. 

Image 
Laptop, Illustration By John Holcroft, 2008 . Fine Art. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 5 Aug 2012. http://quest.eb.com/images/107_3353865

La

(July 23-29)
Pre-course Survey

I think I'll call my course "eResources Online Course."

This is a course designed to help teachers at my school to become more familiar with the electronic resources we have available in the library. The collection is quite substantial and should be used. My pre-course survey is an attempt to gather some data from my colleagues about their knowledge of our collection, and their use of technology in general with their students.

 I used surveymonkey to create the survey. It was fairly easy to use, but the free version is limited to 10 questions. 

 Survey Web Link

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/358KW7W

(July 16 - July 22)
Assessment Taxonomy Table

My revised attempt at completing an Assessment Taxonomy Table after getting some good feedback and suggestions from my classmates. We were to select three or four objectives and decide where they and their activities belong in Bloom’s categories.

Assessment Taxonomy Table Template

 

This website provides a simple explanation of Bloom’s categories:

http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html

Bloom categories	Learning objective verbs	Activity
Knowledge (recall, list, define, identify, collect, label)	Locate, find, name
Comprehension (summarize, describe interpret, predict, discuss)	Summarize, describe, outline	Teacher/Instructor will locate, select and describe at least two databases available in the school collection which has relevant material for the subject h/she teaches. The teacher/instructor will log on to each database, read introduction to each, become familiar with its interface: search boxes, help, citation, printing, and saving features. The teacher/instructor will create an audio or screencast describing five main features of  One of the databases chosen. The teacher/instructor will self-assess using the rubric provided.
Application (apply, demonstrate, illustrate, classify, experiment, discover)	Apply, demonstrate,discover	Teacher/instructor will discover how to search two databases by using various combinations of keywords and phrases. The teacher/instructor  will apply their knowledge of database search to generate a bibliography by evaluating two citation tools -NoodleTools or Easybib.   The teacher/instructor will create a reflective blog entry noting any observations made while searching with various keywords/phrases combinations.
Analysis (analyze, classify, connect, explain, infer)
Synthesis (combine, integrate, plan, create, design, formulate)	Design, create, plan, devise, propose, integrate	The teacher/instructor will design an assignment for his/her students integrating the use of databases. The teacher/instructor will post reflective blog.
Evaluation (assess, recommend, convince, compare, conclude, summarize)

(July 2-July 8)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES & CONCEPT MAPS

My Learning Objectives and mind map. I used Popplet to create this concept map, after viewing a helpful tutorial video.
My goal is to devise a way to familiarize teachers with library online resources so that they will be able to use them with their students.  

(June 18 - July 1)

Discussion & Readings

Here we were asked to respond to the Buhagiar article.

The Buhagiar article discusses the alternative assessment paradigm. The author speaks of six uses of assessment. Can you see any of these uses connected to our three assessment techniques this week - the survey, wiki and icebreaker?

• Which tool did you like best and why? 
• What assessment advantages does it offer your own course design plans?

My Response:
Asssessment for Learning

 The Buhagiar article (2007) makes the case for a change in assessment practices. The author offers the alternative assessment paradigm in place of the traditional psychometric model of assessment. He states that the latter hinders learning, while the former supports learning.  The traditional model of assessment he sees as more summative and is used for “selection and certification.” He expresses a preference for the alternative assessment paradigm, which is characterized as formative because it focuses on the learning process and the learner. He makes it clear that what’s important is the purpose and use of the assessments. What's most surprising is the fine distinction he makes between "assessment for learning" and "formative assessment." The author further identifies six uses of assessment, of which we’ve been exposed to at least two through the assessment techniques we used this week - Diagnosis and Feedback.

Diagnosis
The survey can be used for Diagnosis. As learners we were asked questions that forced us to be reflective on our learning experience. Buhagiar would see this as a desirable use of assessment since the focus is on us the learner. To be able to identify our strengths and weaknesses as teachers and learners is an effective way for each of us to become “self-monitoring learners.” (Buhagiar, p.50)   I had not given much thought to what assessment technique best enhanced my learning experience.

Feedback
The wiki and discussion can provide good Feedback of our individual progress. What really counts here is how this feedback is used. If it’s used to support each of us in our learning and advances our understanding of the material, then it would fit the alternative assessment paradigm model. The wiki makes it possible for teacher and students to work in a collaborative learning environment where there is an open exchange of ideas. Links to a blog would create a forum for discussion, providing yet another assessment tool.Buhagiar suggests that the goal should be to create “a more collaborative community of learners.” (Buhagiar, p.51) Our icebreaker exercise began the process of building our learning community.

It’s difficult to choose between wiki and discussion. They both provide the opportunity to collaborate and engage with other learners. But perhaps, given a choice, I would choose discussion.  I like the potential for active engagement and interaction. Seeing other people’s perspective is often enlightening. Our varied interpretations of the same readings, for example, is sometimes perplexing, challenging, and exciting.  Discussions help me solidify my thinking even as I learn from others. And if the discussion advances my understanding of the material, then learning is taking place.
My choice of tool would depend on the participants of the course. Since I’m contemplating designing a course for teachers in my school, a wiki may be more effective.  It allows for more collaboration. Were I to design a course for our High School students, I would use discussion because it would facilitate more opportunity to practice and demonstrate critical thinking skills. The challenge would be to design and guide the discussion so that it remains engaging.
 Buhagiar, Michael A. "Classroom Assessment within the Alternative Assessment Paradigm: Revisiting the Territory" Curriculum Journal 18.1 (2007): 39-56.
 Kathleen in Brooklyn, NY

Class Netiquette Guidelines Wiki  

Another element of building community is to solicit input from members of the class to contribute to a list of commonly agreed principles of behavior.  We were each asked to add guidelines that would make everyone feel comfortable and valued as a member of our learning community.

Here's a link to our class wiki with our collective list of guidelines:
http://assessonline.pbworks.com/w/page/33498330/FrontPage

 Reading Interactive Inventory

We tested ourselves using this interactive inventory survey. Given what we now know about assessment, we were asked to respond to a series of statements to check our own approach to assessment.

My response to the informal inventory:

I believe my choices are valid. One of my selections placed emphasis on the use of standardized exam as an indirect assessment tool and  teacher-centered. My thinking is that the exam was more for the benefit of the teacher rather than the learner. My reasoning is that the result of such exams are rarely used to improve or support the learner.

This is an example of a reusable learning object - a tool to explore further.

ICEBREAKER - "Let's Go to the Movies"

For our first community building activity, we were asked to summarize a favorite or meaningful movie and  tell why it was meaningful to us. I chose the film, "Sugar Cane Alley."


Sugar Cane Alley is set on the Caribbean island of Martinique in the 1930s. This French with English subtitled film tells the story of 11-year old José. His mother dies when he was younger and he is left in the care of his grandmother. They live in a small village where his grandmother and almost everyone around them work on a sugar cane plantation eking out a meager existence at the mercy of the plantation overseer. The only way to succeed and escape the cane fields is through education. José studies hard and passes an exam, which earns him a partial scholarship to attend a school in the capital.  His grandmother determined that her grandson must succeed, decides to move to the capital, Fort-de-France.  She takes in laundry to help pay his tuition. When the teacher accuses José of plagiarism, José skips school and wanders in the capital. But the teacher visits the grandmother and learns that the stories José wrote were true. They were stories about Africa told to him by an old man whom he had befriended on the plantation. The film ends when his grandmother suddenly becomes ill and dies. Although José’s future seems uncertain, you’re left with the sense that he will succeed. Wonderful acting and sensitively directed by writer-director Euzhan Palcy.

What I like about this film is the human story of success through education. It exemplifies what education has meant to me personally. I hear my father’s voice telling his children and especially his daughters to do well in school so that we can become, not necessarily rich, but self-sufficient.  My parents didn’t have wealth, but giving us opportunities to a good education was paramount. It’s certainly a way out of poverty. The movie also reminds me of the importance of paying homage to our elders and the people who help us along the way. In the move, José is not only helped by his grandmother, but also by the teachers, who recognized his talents, encouraged and supported him. For me, there are many people along the way who have contributed to my success. So that when people talk about making it on their own, I cringe. We all stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us and those around us. These are some of the values I hope I’ve imparted to my children and I hope more people would recognize.