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Chapter 11 Evaluating New Teachers

Teachers can be evaluated in many different ways. Teachers can be evaluated through writing assignments that are required to be creative, analytical, or persuasive. They will be assigned individual and group projects to be reviewed. College supervisors or mentor teachers will observe new teachers in the classroom. It is important for a new teacher to give themselves self-assessments. A new teacher needs to know if their students are learning and if they are not, what changes they should make. Performance-based assessments are important in determining:

• Are lessons structured to incorporate rigorous academic content and engaging teaching methods?
• Does your language convey high expectations of your students?
• Are you meeting the needs of individual learners?
• Are you managing the class time effectively such as redirecting students' attention back to academic studies if they become distracted?
• Do you exchange questions fairly between boys and girls?

Considering the test-to performance evaluation spectrum. Which one do you think is more important?

Chapter 11 Portfolios for Teachers

• Portfolios for teachers follow patterns established in other professions.
• They are used to show collections of work that demonstrate their talents and skills to employers or customers.
• Teaching portfolios generally include the following elements:
  

Philosophy of education
Lesson Plans
Academic Courses and Research Experiences
Teaching Experience
Personal Talents and Accomplishments
References
Reflections
Video and Pictorial Segments
Resource Links
Resume

• Standards-based digital portfolios "uses a database or hypertext to clearly show the relationship between standards or goals." These type of portfolios are important for new teachers because they show the teacher has the skills to take charge in the classroom.
• Some teachers feel using standards to organize portfolio material as a checklist of requirements to accomplish. While others see it as a way to record their competencies and reflect on their growth.
  

Chapter 11 Digital Portfolios as a Learning Technology

A digital portfolio is a collection of educational materials stored in an electronic format such as a CD-ROM, website, or computer file. A digital porfolio "is a goal-driven, organized collection of artifacts that demonstrates a person's expansion of knowledge and skills over time."

There are three different types of digital or electronic portfolios currently in use. "Online assessment systems" and "print-loaded" portfolios don't take advantage of digital technology. Students store preselected pieces of work in a commercially designed template when using an "online assessment systems". A"print-loaded" portfolio simply takes the paper text and displays it electronically. "Web-sensible" portfolios use "text boxes, hyperlinking, visuals, audio texts and design elements" that convey a teacher's materials. This type of portfolio creates an interactive and constantly changing presentation.

What are your thoughts on the different portfolio options?

Chapter 10 Technology and a "Writing Process Fit to Young Writers"

Writing in school is often taught as an exercise in memorizing, editing, and manipulating of words. The emphasis is generally on standard spelling and correct usage of conventions. Students often say they don't enjoy writing in school for many reasons. They may feel they are not smart because they don't write with ease and enjoy the process of writing. Students often want to be up and moving and lack the patience necessary for writing. A lot of pressure is place on students to spell words correctly and use punctuation, grammar, and other conventions of written language appropriately.

Technology has been shown to have a positive impact on student writing performance. Technology can be used by teachers to move student through the process of brainstorming to completed publication of written work. Students must believe their ideas do matter and it help students a lot if the process is individualized in the school setting. Computer based tools maximize and differentiate support for individual writers. Teachers can read a story aloud to students while other students read using the interactive book or other students can watch a video or CD of the book the teacher is reading. All of these options are using technology simultneously and creating different openers.

Chapter 10 Interactive Electronic Storybooks

• Interactive electronic storybooks are a unique learning resource for young readers.
• They can be used for children that have identified reading problems or a new reader that has no difficulties.
• They work by combining words and pictures of a book with sound effects and graphic animations.
• Interactive Electronic Storybooks allow children to hear a story read aloud as they watch it unfold on the computer screen. Children are able to interact with the characters and the scenes by clicking a mouse.
• Some of the advantages of Storybooks are the visual elements create an engaging mood that appeal to children. Reading comprehension skills can be improved because those skills are a focal point of many electronic books.
• Some of the disadvantages are children may become dependent on the computer to pronounce unknown words instead of trying to figure them out on their own. Cued animations and sound effects can hinder understanding because children have a hard time recalling the story.

Would you as a teacher use Interactive Storybooks in the classroom?

Discussion Blog Two

With everything we have learned in tech class what do you really think you will use in your classroom? I myself will use the smartboard everyday. I like the website for my clssroom. I feel it is a good way for the parents to stay connected. I like the blog for coworkers but don't think I will use it in my classroom with my students.
As for a prezi I really don't think I will use it in my classroom or with other teachers. I was not impressed with prezis.