This Blog compiles data and articles about technology in education. How it is being used and how it can better serve schools/educators.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Misi Activity Summary
Misi is a data management system that provides web based solutions for K-12 education requirements. Our class was write a summary about how we would use Misi in our school. I did mine in power point the link is below. I have also included two paragraphs below that helps describe what Misi does.
k12datamine™ has been designed to allow schools and districts to efficiently evaluate their student and staff effectiveness and to assist schools in addressing the new challenges and opportunities presented by the No Child Left Behind legislation. Utilizing the latest Microsoft Business Intelligence tools, k12datamanagement™ is a complete web-based Student Information System (SIS) application, designed to aid school districts with the massive record keeping they are held accountable for by federal and state standards.
Using your web browser, you can create surveys from different types of questions. (multiple choice, rating scales, drop-down menus, and more..). You can require answers to any question. When I develop an on line test, webpage, web quest or other technology project I ask students to do a survey about the product on survey monkey. Survey monkey is a free survey internet program. Survey Monkey is a revolutionary tool to create and publish custom surveys in minutes, and then view results graphically and in real time. Surveys give me instant feedback about the projects that I have designed. I have also had students use them to have their peers assess their work for them. Survey Monkey is easy to use and gives immediate feedback.
You can send surveys through email or put a link on your blog. You can get individual responses. Securely share your survey results with others or filter only the responses you're interested in. You can download a results in multiple formats, spreadsheet or in database format.
Survey Monkey is a simple survey tool, it is free and easy to use. Different then rGrade which builds a rubric and grading device around a project; survey monkey gives an educator a evaluation of the the project. Survey Monkey and rGrade are both great tools to evaluate and assess student work. They can work hand in hand once you design a rGrade for a project you can use survey monkey to have the students evaluate the rubric.
Rick Stiggins says we can accomplish better assessment through deep student involvement. "Stiggins says "th r o u g h student involvement in classroom assessment, we can focus students on a clear path to ultimate success. If we engage students in continuous self-assessment over time, we can keep them believing that success is within reach if they keep striving. Survey monkey puts power into the students hand, they can fill out surveys to assess classroom assessment. Survey monkey reinforces what Stiggins says, giving studnets immediate feedback and a voice in the assessment process will empower them.
Below is a sample survey I used on my old blog.
Innovation Tools Survey
Please fill out this survey so I can have feedback on this project. Click "Next" to get started with the survey. If you'd like to leave the survey at any time, just click "Exit this survey". Your answers will be saved.
Industrial Age Strict Lacks Creativity Everybody must learn same way Technology in classroom not encouraged. Few resources Teachers stuck to standards
Industrial age Information/Communication Freedom to explore Creativity encouraged usually People learn in different ways and its okay. Technology is over flowing into the classroom. Coming faster than we can adjust to. More resources than ever before (maybe to many to fast) Teachers are exploring, creating and designing new ways to keep up.
NCBL fits in both categories. It fits in the strict standard based industrial age. The heavy requirements on testing results and having all students learn the same information the same way is very much industrial age. It does not provide for much flexibility in different ways that students may learn, just like industrial age. NCLB is not designed to meet the needs of today's technology world. It lacks the flexibility of today's educational needs. NCLB is set up for the standards of Industrial age learning.
It does meet the the needs in information/communication by recognizing and investing in our changing immigrant population. NCLB calls for these students to receive equal education and requires schools to teach them English. NCLB does not limit technology and even provides money and initiatives for teachers in some areas.
NCLB is relevant to today's students because it reaches out to all students and requires schools to provide and teach all students equally. NCLB does not do enough to prepare today's students for the 21st century world. It does not require students and teachers learn new technology.
It is amazing that Dede includes Game Boys devices and other entertainment consoles as learning technologies. How cool would it be to get a teacher willing to take on the adventure of using Game Boys to say teach a math class. Yes it would present a lot of logistical issues and some possible classroom management skills. But it would really catch the imagination of many students. "Hey guys this year Mr. Hamsley will be teaching Nintendo Math sign up if you are interested." To use technology in schools to make it really interesting to students we need to take learning technologies out of the playroom and adapt them to the classroom. There will be administrators, parents and other groups who challenge and scold this as pipe dream. But this is where many kids who slip through the cracks could be salvaged. We need to embrace technologies that kids already have mastered and find ways to bring their talents into the classroom. Kirk
I built my rubric around a Webquest on The Depression (http://teacherweb.com/IN/FloydCentralHighSchool/TheGreatDepression/h1.stm) I designed for a summer school class I teach. The rubric can be found in rgrade under the title Great Depression Webquest. It is a 5 category 4 column design and I used points (1-4). I alingned my rubric according to Indiana state Social Studies standards for U.S.History. RGrade is a neat program it really puts teeth into assessment. RGrade helps teacher and student to know exactly what is required and expected for a successful assessment.
This is my first attempt to put a rubric together on rGrade. Once I got the hang of it and understood how it worked I really liked it. I have done rubrics in the past but not with the ease of rGrade. I can see it being a standard for all teachers to develop rubrics. Administrators want to see assessments done in more clear and specific designs. They want to be able to share with parents and school boards how teachers are doing class assessments.Rubrics and rGrade fulfills all these needs.
To improve the rubric I would add maybe two more rows that give students more guidelines to design the magazine. AS I used it with students I would make changes as I saw weaknesses. The points can be somewhat confusing because they are not standard for my classroom. I would change the point values.
Rubics have always been a pain in the butt, because they seem like extra work. I know that they serve a good purpose and are needed but I never really put a lot of thought into them. But whenever I do them they really complete an assignment.
In Rick Stiggins article? New Assessment Beliefs for a New School Mission, he says that, "High-stakes tests without supportive classroom assessment environments harm struggling students". We have to do a better job as educators of making clear to students what we are requiring for assessment. These struggling students can be easily lost and confused when we do not clearly layout what we are asking through assessment. Rubrics really make assessment clear for all involved.
In the article Knowing What Students Know: The Science and Design of Educational Assessment, the author clearly states assessment resides in relationships. "The power of classroom assessment resides in its close connections to instruction and teachers, knowledge of their students instructional histories. When educators spend time getting to know their students and students understand what the teacher expects assessment can create success.
RGrade was a neat project it is valuable and fills a need in improving assessment. I hope to learn more about it and I have introduced it to my principal. He was really excited about it possibilities.
