Are tests the only objective assessments for student learning?

When you think about measuring learning and understanding, do you think about testing?  Well, we do live in the 21^st Century and assessments have evolved as well as technology and the incorporation of it helps measure students learning.  Therefore, to answer the question is yes.  However things have changed and now we, as teachers, try to use a variety of assessments to have a better understanding of our students learning process.   There are a variety of assessments that measures the students learning and their deep understanding.  Technology has opened a window for using it to our advantages.  Students can now demonstrate their learning and understanding by creating presentations, videos, projects, and publishing their final copy on a word processor.  Better yet, they can now connect with other classes across the nation and share ideas of their learning. Classroom blogs and real world projects are other examples that teachers can use to assess the learning of standards, concepts, and performing objectives.    In conclusion, we live in a society that we do not only need tests to assess students learning and progress but they can demonstrate their understanding and skills in a critical thinking, innovation, and synthesizing ways if the teachers do use a variety of assessments (from formative assessments to summative assessments; from informal to formal assessments). 

Technology Infused Classroom

Envisioning a technology infused classroom in the 21^st Century, you probably think about all students with laptops at their desk, cell phones in their pocket, and a set of IPads.  Since we are currently in the middle of 2012, we have new technology being released almost every few months with the newest and fastest gadgets with plenty of Gigabytes that you won’t really use.  The reality is that schools do not have the same privilege to keep up with the greatest technology in the classroom.  So you’re wondering, how teachers have technology infused classrooms without the updated technology?

A classroom that has the technology infused classroom has students interacting with each other learning the basic knowledge of how the content materials work to synthesizing the content with the assistance of the appropriate technology.  Teachers play an important role because they need to preselect the technology that will best help the students learn the content.  In order to preselect which is the planning process of an educator, they need to know that students have different learning styles and they must meet the needs of the students in that classroom.  There is no longer a one size fits all lesson if you want your students to succeed and have a learning environment.  Differentiation comes in handy when using technology, it’s also important to select the correct technology and not use it just to throw technology to the students.   In the technology infused classroom, the teacher is a facilitator and there is a student center learning using different technology that promotes higher level thinking, critical thinking, problem solving with real life scenarios, and teaching content standards with NETS.   

Visual Literacy and Internet in the Classroom

Visual literacy is such a great method that can enhance any classroom.  Students in today’s society are used to the visual images and animations provided by the television, video games, computers, etc.  Educators have to use the images to help reach all learners.  Students learned in multiply ways and visual images can reach even the verbal learners.   There are many various strategies that can help the students decode and encode images to their prior knowledge or experiences.  In addition, the students will retain and recall the information if they can visualize the images and it can be related to their own experience.   

There are six types of roles that visuals play which are realistic, analogical, organizational, relational, transformational, and interpretive.  In my personal classroom I use realistic, analogical, organizational, and interpretive images to teach my students.  The one that I truly enjoy is the realistic one because the students use it with my vocabulary lesson every week with the Frayer Model.  However, I will set a personal goal to try to incorporate all six types to reach all learners in my classroom.

The internet can be a very handy tool to help any classroom however the teacher has to have the evaluation process and instructional knowledge to have student learning.  The internet can be used as an instructional and network tool in the classroom and it promotes real world experiences and builds a sense of community in the classroom.    Furthermore, teachers need to create a learning environment that promotes internet as a tool that can inspire students to critical think, problem solve, analyze, and learn internet etiquettes.  It is imperative for teachers to promote all these skills and achieve students’ excellence to create 21^st Century Learners that can be innovators and global competitors.   

Getting to know me

Hello, my name is Aracely Vazquez.  I have created a blog to reflect on readings, posts, and assignments from an educational class to help with my personal growth as a teacher.  I am currently taking classes to obtain my Masters Degree.  I am currently going on three years of teaching and I have taken a new position as a mentor teacher through a program that uses the TAP rubric that my school district will be using this coming school year.

Welcome again to my blog and I will be posting blogs of my reflection weekly or biweekly.  :)