A Change in How We Do Things
As of now, the only measurements that teachers use for growth are those attached to test scores.
My proposal more deeply is to develop a technological way in which teachers and students can communicate about their own learning growth. In turn, I want this to be transparent to administrators as well so that it can be used for evaluation tools too.
Daily life in 2014 and more modern research such as :
Boyd, Danah.(2014). It's Comlicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. New Haven/London: Yale University Press.
Generation Like.(2014) FRONTLINE: PBS.org. Web site ©1995-2014 WGBH Educational Foundation.
has helped me recognize a more social view of what we should be adding to this “measurement” communication with students. No one is measuring the experience of students, when it in fact is very influential to their personal growth. Some could argue maybe it's the one factor that contributes MOST to their growth. Schooling today does not really hone in on these things that kids care very much about and the social lives in which they live.
It seems silly in my opinion, that only “the business world” really taps into the idea of consumerism being used in society. Aren’t students just consumers of knowledge after all? And teachers the salesmen or marketers? I believe teachers can use the social signals that students, parents, and most of the general public are ALREADY using fluently and giving freely, to communicate and measure learning growth.
Also, I believe that technology can really aid in this process. Some technological references I will use would be the “like” from facebook, the “stats” from design sites like Wordpress, and plugins to admin tools like iObservation, and perhaps a resume piece such as that from LinkedIn. Now blend them all together somehow...more on this later.
In the end, students would use the tech tool after a chosen lesson, unit, or whatever process the teacher would like to measure. The measurement then would be a well rounded approach that included the “experience” of the student. i.e...how the student is feeling. What does the class want? What do they feel they need? The data prompts would be designed in such a way that teachers could easily measure and monitor and adjust according to planned outcomes (i.e before a test).
My vision is to have this be a NEW data measurement, and NOT a replacement for test scores. It would serve as a point of reflection for monitoring what is going on in the classroom/ with the actual teaching practice that leads ultimately to outcomes later. With this measurement, teachers can adjust the process based on ACTUAL STUDENT DATA, and therefore have a more direct impact on real student outcomes (test data). I believe, the student experience and productivity are succinctly related and if teachers are able to use the tool and adjust experience accordingly, they will be better able to predict and impact outcome data.
My proposal more deeply is to develop a technological way in which teachers and students can communicate about their own learning growth. In turn, I want this to be transparent to administrators as well so that it can be used for evaluation tools too.
Daily life in 2014 and more modern research such as :
Boyd, Danah.(2014). It's Comlicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. New Haven/London: Yale University Press.
Generation Like.(2014) FRONTLINE: PBS.org. Web site ©1995-2014 WGBH Educational Foundation.
has helped me recognize a more social view of what we should be adding to this “measurement” communication with students. No one is measuring the experience of students, when it in fact is very influential to their personal growth. Some could argue maybe it's the one factor that contributes MOST to their growth. Schooling today does not really hone in on these things that kids care very much about and the social lives in which they live.
It seems silly in my opinion, that only “the business world” really taps into the idea of consumerism being used in society. Aren’t students just consumers of knowledge after all? And teachers the salesmen or marketers? I believe teachers can use the social signals that students, parents, and most of the general public are ALREADY using fluently and giving freely, to communicate and measure learning growth.
Also, I believe that technology can really aid in this process. Some technological references I will use would be the “like” from facebook, the “stats” from design sites like Wordpress, and plugins to admin tools like iObservation, and perhaps a resume piece such as that from LinkedIn. Now blend them all together somehow...more on this later.
In the end, students would use the tech tool after a chosen lesson, unit, or whatever process the teacher would like to measure. The measurement then would be a well rounded approach that included the “experience” of the student. i.e...how the student is feeling. What does the class want? What do they feel they need? The data prompts would be designed in such a way that teachers could easily measure and monitor and adjust according to planned outcomes (i.e before a test).
My vision is to have this be a NEW data measurement, and NOT a replacement for test scores. It would serve as a point of reflection for monitoring what is going on in the classroom/ with the actual teaching practice that leads ultimately to outcomes later. With this measurement, teachers can adjust the process based on ACTUAL STUDENT DATA, and therefore have a more direct impact on real student outcomes (test data). I believe, the student experience and productivity are succinctly related and if teachers are able to use the tool and adjust experience accordingly, they will be better able to predict and impact outcome data.