Tech Infused Classroom Assessment

The final task in the Tech Infuse Classroom course I have taken this summer is to assess my learning over the last three weeks.  I must admit that I am very pleased with what I have learned, and what I was able to accomplish.  I completed 15 projects using eight new tech tools, and ten tools overall.

Let's take a look at the following ways to assess a student's work that I learned last year:

Did the student:

• try to solve problems before asking for help,
• display creativity and critical thinking in the achievement of goals,
• teach others,
• create a document that included all the elements required, 
• shows evidence of learning by using tech knowledge and save what they created in their portfolio,
• transfer knowledge from previous lessons, 
• complete daily goals, and 
• know correct language to verbalize.

I did try to solve problems before asking for help. I even get that scrunched up face you get when deep in thought. "How do I do this? Think, think." But, I also enjoy the back and forth conversation you can get on a discussion board when you ask for ideas on how to solve a problem.  "Have you tried...."

I find myself wondering, "Can you also do this, when you do that?" honing my ability to display creativity and critical thinking in the achievement of goals. I'm a bit like a bulldog, not letting go until I solve a problem. Loved ones tell me, "You're getting OCD on this." But I find that one answer leads to another question.

It's no surprise that a teacher wants to teach others. I love it when I solve a problem, and I want to tell everyone how I did it. I accomplished this by making "how to" videos using Screencast-o-matic, or by posting instructions and images on discussion boards using Jing.  And if you don't know how to do that, I can help you with it.

I was diligent in creating my final project to make a screencast presentation regarding a webtool showing how to use the tool, then embed the screencast and a project example into the class wiki ‘Skills’ tab to create a document that included all the elements required. I shot several versions until I had the time close to the requirement, and was satisfied that the information I shared, showcased the ThingLink tech tool I had selected.

I love showing evidence of my learning by using tech knowledge and saving what I created in both my Wiki portfolio, and my blog. I tried to test at least one new tech tool a day, and posted it to my Wiki page in order to complete daily goals.  I do have to admit that I was so engrossed with exploring the many tech tools that I learned, that I got behind in keeping up with my blog. Blogs can be time consuming.  Even though I posted a tech tool to my Wiki page, and checked off my assessment log while completing each task, I wish I had also made a simple blog post every day regarding what I had accomplished in my learning. A note about an article I read, a video I watched, a tech tool I learned. This would have been helpful in keeping me organized, as well as reflecting on my work.  I found myself thinking, "Have I read this article yet?" "Did I watch that video already?"

While I haven't used as much tech as I would like to in my teaching, I am happy that most of the information I learned last year came back with some practice, and I was able transfer knowledge from previous lessons to grow, and develop new skills. I am especially thankful that I was already familiar with both the Wikipage and my blog from last year, making it easier to jump right into learning new tech tools.

In the past, it was difficult to remembering the correct language to verbalize, wondering, "Should I embed, link, or post; upload, or download?"  I'm already famous around my house for speaking in an encryptic code, "Where's that thing?"   This year, I paid more attention, and reshot my screencast when I found mistakes.

Although I am quite pleased with the overall learning, it's not to say all went well. Two problems arose using Twitter and Google Hangouts.  First, I had difficulty establishing a professional twitter account, and viewing my tweets and the tweets of others in a timely manner.  The second tech issue came from my laptop and tablet, where I was not able to turn my web camera on in my laptop, to take a visual part in the Google Hangout, and my tablet stopped transmitting live.  I believe that both of these issues stem from not using these tech tools enough, but that is an easy fix, and a new goal.

Again, I am happy with the results of my learning in my Tech Infused Classroom summer course these past three weeks. I enjoy talking with others about what I have accomplished, and what I still need to master.  I am quite excited to share my blog with my fellow teachers now that I have amassed almost 30 new tech tools in my repertoire of skills!