Technology makes it easier for students and teachers to monitor progress on reports, projects or daily lessons. The ability to see immediate accomplishments as well as provide feedback increases with technology use inside the classroom. Informing parents of student achievement or behavior can be an everyday thing with the advancement of technology. Email is not the only avenue of classroom and community interaction. Classroom blogs are becoming more popular and allow parents and students to stay involved outside of school. Varying approaches on how we respond to student work and providing them with multiple learning opportunities will help ensure student success. “Typically, students need about 24 practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80-percent competency” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).With most things in order to see success students need to put forth solid effort in order to reap the benefits of technology uses. We can't expect kids to use word or excel spreadsheet and hope they understand it in one sitting. Like most learners they need enough time in order to develop the skill and then produce work with the skill. Providing students with the time to learn will benefit the classroom in the long run. If students are giving a solid effort and they are providing enough chances to understand and use the skill, they should have a great shot at transferring the skills into our classrooms and workplaces. By teaching students the importance of effort and being able to monitor effort and achievement we can hopefully produce a solid experience inside the classroom.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
I agree that technology provides many different ways to track and monitor student progress and achievement. All of the teachers at our school record grades on an online gradebook. Parents and students have access to this gradebook and can monitor progress for each class. Each teacher in our building also updates their individual webpage each day. This is a great way to communicate class information as well as homework assignments. Since our school is part of a one to one program, each student has access to a laptop during the school day. Many of our students are also able to take these computers home. This helps keep the lines of communication open between parents, students, and teachers.
ReplyDeleteI think you are correct that there are many avenues of communication between teachers and parents in today's world. This year I set up a classroom wiki that lists ideas, topics and important information for both students and parents. Since I am a physical education teacher, I posted a healthy recipe idea on the first day. By the end of the month, there were 20 additional recipes that were added to the list. Parents seem to enjoy interacting with one another on the website. I also agree with you that students need time to practice, process and evaluate their skills in order to become proficient. We cannot expect our students to understand information immediately and should give them ample time and opportunity to rehearse new skills until they comprehend the information.
ReplyDeleteCorey,
ReplyDeleteI teach 4th grade but during my student teaching I was able to visit some middle schools and observe some classes. After doing that I thought that one of the biggest challenges would be to encourage students to put forth effort. At the end of your post you mentioned teaching students the importance of effort and I was wondering what strategies you used in your classes to do this? During my visit to a middle school it seemed almost as if some students were working harder to avoid doing class work then if they actually decided to put that effort into working. I'm sure you knew teaching at a middle school would have unique challenges and I was wondering how you have been dealing with what I think would be one of the more signifigant challenges.
Hello Corey,
ReplyDeleteI agree that e-mail should not be the only technology that a student uses in the classroom. Technology does make it easier for students and teachers to monitor progress. IUt's a great way for communication for teacher and parents. It also allows for students to have an online tutorial or just enrichment in general. Technology alone will not allow students to develop skills and knowledge but it will assist with the teaching process of teachers.
Sidenote, I apprecaite that you were on the Hawks side. It was very disappointing to see the Hawks lose but they were up against Labron and once you face him, it's all over. lol!