Enhancing Learning: Formative Assessment and Technology

What are the learning features and information sources needed to enhance learning in your field? 

Student learning can be enhanced in many ways, including with and without the utilization of technology. This can also vary from teacher to teacher and across different environments. Within the field of education enhancing student learning is a goal that each of us strives for.

The use of formative feedback has been proven to enhance student learning. In the article, Research summary – assessment for learning, research carried out by Paul Black and Dylan William is reviewed. One of the main findings of Black and William’s research was that where formative assessment was implemented effectively, it raised the standards of achievement across the board, but particularly for low achievers. It reduced the spread of attainment while raising the bar for everyone. Where pupil are given better quality support and feedback, and are encouraged and empowered to take more responsibility, they learn more effectively (Education Scotland).

 Juwah et al (2004) identified seven principles of effective feedback. They are:

1. Facilitates the development of self-assessment (reflection) in learning.
2. Encourages teachers and peer dialogue around learning.
3. Helps clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, expected standard).
4. Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance.
5. Delivers high quality information to students about their learning.
6. Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem.
7. Provides information to teacher that can be used to help shape the teaching.

Several new educational technologies designed to support formative assessment may help to address barriers to formative assessment use and effectiveness. These new technologies enhance learning and assessment, for example, by enabling more frequent feedback, creating immersive learning environments that highlight problem-solving processes and make student thinking visible, and by providing opportunities for independent and collaborative learning. Teachers, students and parents are able to track learning over time, to identify patterns in learning, and highlight progress (Looney, 2010).

As of yet, many teachers do not take advantage of the potential of new technologies to enhance classroom assessment. They may not be aware of how to integrate technologies into classroom assessment, or may not know how to respond to student needs identified in the assessment process. Or they may be using new technologies, but to reinforce more traditional approaches to assessment – losing out on the potential to deep classroom interactions and strengthen inquiry-based learning (Looney, 2010).

Looney, points out that there are several new technologies that incorporate different ways to assess student performance. These technologies are designed to support:

• Rapid assessment of student understanding
• Timely and targeted feedback, scaffolding of learning
• Interactive learning and assessment of higher-order skills
• Tracking of student learning in different contexts and over time.

Some of these technologies – such as simulations with real-time feedback – blend instruction and assessment in new ways. Others are intended to facilitate student collaboration and to encourage peer- and self-assessment (Looney).

Polling tools, sometimes referred to as learner response systems (LRSs), are becoming more common in the classroom for rapid assessment of student understanding. These tools allow teachers to conduct on-the-spot surveys. The LRS consists of handheld “clickers”, or input devices, which communicate with software on the teacher’s computer. Students use of LRS devices to respond to questions posed by the teacher, and responses are aggregated and displayed on the teachers’ computer in the form of bar charts or graphs. The devices allow students to respond to yes/no or multiple-choice questions. Some devices also accept free text or numeric answers. Using these polling devices, teachers are able to engage all students, including those who are less likely to speak up during class, in active classroom discussions (Looney). The evidence regarding the impact of polling technologies on formative assessment practice is still limited; however recent studies illustrate an enhancement of learning through their use.

Increasingly, ICT-based learning programmes are able to provide timely and targeted feedback for students working independently. Some online learning programmes use tutors to provide real-time support for learners. Other programmes provide automated feedback. Although in some cases this feedback may be fairly generic, some programmes search for patterns in student work to better target feedback and to then adjust the level of difficulty in subsequent exercises according to needs. In other words, the programmes scaffold learning. These programmes have been evaluated as having positive impacts on learning (Looney).

Several new technologies allow teachers to blend instruction and assessment, increasing interactive learning and assessment of higher-order skills. The technologies reviewed by Looney include interactive white boards (IWBs), simulations, video games, and social networking tools. Different technologies enable teachers to follow students’ reasoning and problem solving approaches, thus providing a window on student thinking (Looney).

The little research that has been done on IWBs does show that students’ attainment levels increase in classrooms with IWBs, however the focus of these studies did not specifically focus on how IWBs were used to support formative assessment. ICT-based simulations also encourage interactivity and help to make students’ thinking processes visible. Unfortunately, ICT-based assessments that take advantage of simulations are still in the early stages of development. Gaming that draw on more advanced cognitive capabilities may also serve valuable pedagogical purposes. Learning through play is highly effective for improving motivation, engagement, and many teachers see adventure games and simulations as useful ways to develop students’ strategic skills. Potentially, teachers will able to examine process data from game play for formative assessment (e.g. time spent on each level, strategies used). Social networking tools (Web 2.0) are already sufficiently developed for widespread use in schools. Social networking and Web 2.0 tools give students opportunities to assess their own and their peers’ work and to adapt and improve products over time. In this way, they may take ownership of the assessment process (Looney).

ICT-based assessments have the potential to improve the integration of formative and summative approaches by more effectively tracking student learning over time. ICT-based assessments could also provide means to aggregate data at different levels – for individual students, specific classes, grade levels, schools, and so on. Teachers would be able to create complex streams of data about student learning, enhancing their ability to analyse patterns in their approaches to learning, possible misconception, and how they have progressed over time (Looney).

According to Looney, assessment touches all aspects of the learning process and the role of technology is central. There can be little doubt that a leap in educational productivity will not happen without significant strides in the development of assessment methods and tools. Equally there is a growing awareness on the part of policy makers and researchers that we now have the capacity to dramatically improve assessment systems. To do so will require a wide range of initiatives, aimed at:

• Developing coherent strategies for strengthening ICT in education.
• Investing in research and evaluation.
• Disseminating new knowledge.
• Developing guidelines and exemplars.
• Considering formative assessment and technologies to support assessment within broader frameworks for assessment and evaluation.
• Encouraging partnerships between and among ICT product developers, educators and policy makers.
• Involving parents.

Taken together, these measures could lead to pronounced improvements in enhancing student learning by effective combining formative assessment with technological advancements.

References

Education Scotland, Research summary – assessment for learning, retrieved from http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/resourcesandcpd/research/summaries/rsassessment.asp October 20^th, 2012.

Juwah, C., Macfarlane-Dick, D., Matthew, B., Nicol, D., Ross, D., Smith, B. (2004), Enhancing student learning through effective formative feedback, The Higher Education Academy, retrieved from  http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/resources/database/id353_senlef_guide.pdf on October 20th, 2012.

Looney, J. (2010), Making it happen: Formative assessment and educational technologies, Curriculum & Assessment Assets, retrieve from http://www.innovationunit.org/sites/default/files/Promethean%20-%20Thinking%20Deeper%20Research%20Paper%20part%203.pdf on October 20^th, 2013.

Questioning Gender and Technology Use

Have I observed differing gender approaches in the way students use present classroom technology?

  

I am a Grade 6 classroom teacher. Currently I have 15 students, 9 girls and 6 boys. Within my classroom students have access to 6 iPads, 5 desktops, and 4 netbooks. My students are not assigned to a specific device and may choose the device that best fits their abilities, comfort level, interest level, and need. Students may also bring their own device to class to use in the learning process.

These are the observations I made in during a one week period on students' approach to technology use within the classroom:

Approach to Technology	Girls	Boys	Additional Comment
BYOT	3 bring their own laptops, 1 of which also brings their iPod. They all access the curriculum using these devices; however they also access personal content during free time.	0 boys.	1 boy did bring his own tablet, however stopped since he found using the class desktops easier and more functional.
Desktops	2 use them fairly regularly, mainly to access Moodle and for word processing. These same girls will occasionally play Club Penguin during free time.	3 use them daily to access Moodle, for word processing, and web searches. 2 separate boys will play Club Penguin during free time almost daily.	The 2 boys using desktops daily previously used iPads and netbooks; the 3rd use to bring is own tablet.
iPads	3 use iPads on a regular basis for curricular use. Outside of curricular use, these girls frequently use the iPads camera features.	2 regularly use iPads for curricular use. During free time one frequently uses the iPads educational apps.	The boys gravitated more to the iPads at the beginning of the year. Now it appears the girls have a higher interest mainly due to the iPads camera technology.
Netbooks	2 use these regularly, mainly to access Moodle and for word processing.	2 use these regularly, mainly to access Moodle and for word processing.	There doesn’t seem to be as strong of a connection between students and netbooks as with the other devices.
Free Time Use	Club Penguin, iPad Camera, Music	Club Penguin, Surfing for Images of Cars & Snowmobiles	Many of these types of differences would be seen regardless if technology was involved or not.

When looking at technological knowledge on any of these devices or software, neither boys nor girls seem to hold an advantage. There is also not a defining separation in the displayed confidence level of use with both sexes sharing knowledge and ideas equally and freely.

With many of the examples of technology use by students, it is difficult to say for certain if this is due to gender or other variables such as access, age, maturity level, interest, or skill set.

Over the past months much of the novelty of having one-to-one computer devices has worn off. These devices have now become another way for the students to access the curriculum, much the same way as textbooks and teacher instruction.

 Does the type of technology being used make a difference in gender neutrality?  Have circumstances in computer mediation changed in the last ten years?

Firstly, technology integration in the classroom has to be sanctioned by school administration, district, and province, either through stated policy or through what has become acceptable practice. Within the classroom, technology use and integration lies in the domain of the teacher. It is teacher directed to meet the goals and objectives outline by the Provincial curriculum. From my experience, although there may be some differences in integration and use of technology from student to student, this difference is due to individual needs and not gender motivated.

When given the choice, gender often does affect how students interact with and utilize technology. For generations and generations, our society has promoted and encouraged gender differences, ingraining these beliefs almost to the core of our being. Many researchers note that girls tend to be not as confident as boys when using technology and the boys are more willing to explore the limits of technology without guidance. Why should this be surprising with regards to technology when historically we as a culture have instilled risked taking behaviour in males, while at the same time imparting in females the necessity of nurturing and playing it safe.

Throughout history many innovations in technology have been the result of risk taking behaviour of males. This is much the same with computer technology. Unintentionally or not, society of the time saw computers as a mainly male domain and many of the resulting spin-off technologies were male focused.

Today, we still see remnants of these antiquated beliefs, although it is quickly fading. When given the choice, gender often does affect how students interact with and utilize technology. Boys tend more frequently be attracted to gaming that promotes competition and risk taking. They tend to be more confident when interacting with technology and will to explore and take risks. Girls tend to gravitate more to social networking and collaboration. They also tend to follow guidelines and procedures of using computer technology more closely and not stray outside of these parameters. This is a result of socialization and not genetically predetermined behaviour.

Although today our society has become more aware of the inequalities and injustices created by beliefs regarding male and female role identities, we do not have to look far to see propaganda that still promotes separate identities and roles for males and females. The helpless Princess Peach must still be rescued by the mustache touting hero Mario even 30 years later.

But times are changing. Females no longer see themselves as needing a male provider or protector (sorry Mario). Females are encouraged to believe in themselves and that anything is possible, to take risks and be proud of their accomplishments. Although gender differences are still visible they are quickly changing. The technological advancements made in the modern, post-industrial society have been tremendous.

Hanna Rosin, in the article The End of Men (July/August 2010 Atlantic Magazine), questioned if the modern, post-industrial society might simply be better suited to women. To back up this view she notes that in 2010, women for the first time in U.S. history became the majority of the workforce. She also points out that most managers are now women and that for every two men graduating with a college degree in 2010, three women will do the same.

In many ways, gender has become less of a moot point - in society in general and specifically with regards to the use of technology.

  

Do females participate differently when on-line?

From personal experience, I have noticed that many men use the Internet differently than their female partners. My experience is supported by the June 2012 article The Internet – Men and Women Have Different Preferences by MNT Medical News Today. Based on research over the past 10 years, men were more likely to visit entertainment, games and music websites. On the other hand, women spent more time checking out social networking sites.

In the September 2012 article, More Women On Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest Than Men, Britney Fitzgerald reported that there are significant difference in how men and women use social networking sites. According to marketing firm Digital Flash NY, women make up 64% of Facebook users, 58% of Twitter users, and 82% of Pinterest users. Although women’s majority share of the social networking market has widened in the past few years, they don’t dominate every site. Men make up 71% of Google+, 84% of the social news site Reddit, and 63% of the professional networking site Linked In.

Based on informal observations this trend appears to be similar with school age students. When given the choice to choose an online activity, boys were more likely to visit games and entertainment websites. Girls on the other hand often choose websites that had a higher social interaction content.

Do I agree with the views and steps that need to be taken to insure gender equality in use of computer technology?

We have come a long way towards gender equality in use of computer technology. This is highlighted in the hottest trend in computing – mobile devices. For a three month period ending June 2012, TechCrunch researched the tablet and Smartphone audience, age 13 years and older. The results (below) show very little difference between males and females across devices.

This trend toward gender equality is also visible in online use. In the article Boys, Girls and Computers: Gender Differences in Technology Usage (October, 2012), Bobby Miller recognizes the gender gap in online use, however he is quick to point out that this gap is increases with the age of the individuals studied. For example, 34% of men over age 65 use the Internet compared to 21% of women in the same age group. These people grew up in an era that was more gendered and less technological than recent generations. This clearly influences their views on technology, as gender differences in Internet usage fall drastically when looking at the total population. Specifically, 68% of males and 66% of females in the U.S. access the Internet regularly. Miller also looked at trends in new tech gadget use. When considering the traditional gamer, 60% are male and 40% are female. Comparing this to the mobile social gamer, we see a significant reduction, and even reversal, of this gender gap with 47% being male and 53% female.

As the January 2012 article, Survey: Women Closing Computer Gender Gap by Greg Risling, clearly points out, women are closing the gender gap when it comes to computer use. A record 78.5% of first-year students said they regularly used computers before attending college. Breaking this down based on gender the figures for women and men were 77.8% and 79.5% respectively. The evidence appears point toward an ever shrinking gender gap.

But Risling delves a little deeper to look at what is happening behind the scenes. Although the use of computers is nearly the same, women were half as likely as men to rate their computer skills as above average, and were five times less likely to pursue careers in computer programming – 9.3% compared to 1.8%. In a work force increasingly dependent on technological proficiency, women’s relative lack of computing confidence is likely to place them at a disadvantage.

As a society, it is our responsibility to identify areas of gender inequalities and work to remedy these disparities.

Myths & One-liners

My first thoughts while reading Weizenbaum’s article, Computerized Gods and the Age of Information, mainly focused on mans’ replacement of God as our saviour in favour for computers and science. Weizenbaum clearly points out that following this new faith will likely lead to the end of mankind. However, we can feel solace if this does happen since we will leave behind the “computer evidence” of our “achievements” and that our demise was a result of “natural” evolution.

In his comparison of computers to humans, Weizenbaum states, “In any case, once the computer is properly instructed, there is certainly a feeling — and I think it has some solidity — that the computer behaves in the image of man in the sense that one has taught it "to think" (again I use that word) like a human being and to do what a human being would do to solve that particular problem.” This statement contradicts Weizenbaum own statement in his 1976 book, Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to Calculation. This is summarized in the Wikipedia article Computer Power and Human Reason as follows:

Joseph Weizenbaum's influential 1976 book Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment To Calculation displays his ambivalence towards computer technology and lays out his case: while artificial intelligence may be possible, we should never allow computers to make important decisions because computers will always lack human qualities such as compassion and wisdom. Weizenbaum makes the crucial distinction between deciding and choosing. Deciding is a computational activity, something that can ultimately be programmed. It is the capacity to choose that ultimately makes us human. Choice, however, is the product of judgment, not calculation. Comprehensive human judgment is able to include non-mathematical factors such as emotions. Judgment can compare apples and oranges, and can do so without quantifying each fruit type and then reductively quantifying each to factors necessary for mathematical comparison.

Weizenbaum wisely points out that human decision making contains intangibles that cannot be captured and placed into computer programming code, making computers incapable of thinking like a human. This, however, will not stop us from trying. But the question has to be asked, will giving computers decision making abilities bring about our salvation? Or will it bring about our demise?

Weizenbaum, J., Computerized Gods and the Age of Information, http://www.vedicsciences.net/articles/computerized-gods.html#Artificial-Intelligence, retrieved on September 22^nd, 2012.

Wikipedia, Computer Power and Human Reason, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Power_and_Human_Reason, retrieved on September 22^nd. 

Personal Learning Networks

Thought I would share this short video (3:42) from Professional Learning Practices, an online webinar provider, about professional learning needs. Note the reference to web safety for students.

Web Safety: Protecting Our Youth

It is a part of human nature that we are more reactive than proactive. When it comes to Internet safety, this if more than apparent. One only needs to turn on the evening news to be bombarded with cases from cyber bullying to internet predators, and everything in between. The Internet is not a safe place to "let children loose" and technology is being used in a multitude of ways to harm our youth.

Online Facts from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:

• 95% of teens (ages 12 – 17) are online.
• 28% of online teens (ages 12 – 17) have created their own blogs.
• About one-third of online teens (ages 12 – 17) have been cyber bullied. Girls are more likely to be targeted.
• 97% of online teens (ages 12 – 17) play computer, Web, portable, or console games. 27% of them game with people they first met online.
• According to the FTC, an estimated 9 million people have their identities stolen each year.

From the moment a child is born into this world, and even before, we are concerned with its protection and well-being. We teach our children about the dangers in our homes and prepare them for venturing beyond the front door. We teach them how to be safe on our streets, at school, and in the community. This process changed little for decades … until the arrival of the Internet. Now we must prepare our youth for a whole new frontier. This frontier transcends the home, school and community. The Internet is mobile and it is global.

Which aspects of WEB safety are of most concern in my teaching institution?

There are a multitude of concerns when it comes to discussing web safety and the students placed in our care. Within my teaching institution we are concerned about all aspects of the Internet that may cause harm to our students. This concern can be broken down into two categories: (1) severity of harm to students and (2) perceived likelihood of happening at our school. With that said, you really cannot talk about one, without thinking about the other. Without surveying my colleagues, the following is a ranking of web safety concerns based on these two categories that I think would be of most concerns at my school.

Severity of Harm	Likelihood of Occurring
Child Pornography Cyber predators Sexually explicit content Cyber bullies Inappropriate content Cyber stalkers Con artists Sensitive personal information Identity Theft Spyware Viruses	Sexually explicit content Inappropriate content Viruses Spyware Cyber bullies Con artists Sensitive personal information Identity Theft Cyber stalkers Cyber predators Child Pornography

How do teachers better effect positive change in students who routinely access knowledge and fact through the use of computer and when conveying information?

There are a number of things that we as educators can do to better effect positive change in students who routinely access knowledge and fact through the use of computer and when conveying information. First, as educators must become more tech / cyber-savvy. We must become better educated on the subject technology and how to use it effectively and safely, including ways in which we are going to teach this information and skills to students. We must establish an ongoing dialogue with students. Not only will this allow us to determine potential risks, but also to provide students with advice on how to avoid these risks. Students need to be supervised on all Internet enabled devices and the use of webcams / mobile video devices must be discouraged. Student must be taught how to protect their personal information posted online and how to use privacy settings. We must teach students how to respond to cyber-bullies and how to protect themselves from other cyber-threats. Teaching students critical thinking skills is paramount in ensuring safe navigation while surfing the World Wide Web.  As teachers we can establish an agreement (contract) with our students about Internet use at school, home, and in the community.

What is a useful method that could improve the handling of WEB safety or the values in my profession and in my school?

In response to the growing use of the Internet in classrooms, many schools have implemented Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) to ensure that school computers are being used in a safe, relevant and appropriate manner. At the school level, an AUP acts as a written contract between administrators, teachers, parents and students. It outlines the terms and conditions for Internet use by defining access privileges, rules of online behaviour, and the consequences for violating those rules. The AUP can also be a helpful tool for teachers, offering guidance on how best to integrate the Internet into their classrooms (Media Smart). Having an AUP would be of great usefulness to improve handling of web safety within my school.

Websites Consulted / Used:

Connect Safely, http://www.connectsafely.org/, retrieved on September 16^th, 2012.

Cyber Smart, http://www.cybersmart.org/ , retrieved on September 16^th, 2012.

Enough-is Enough, Internet Safety 101, http://www.internetsafety101.org/, retrieved on September 15^th, 2012.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide/parent-guide, retrieved on September 16^th, 2012.

INOBTR.org, Defining Internet Safety Issues, http://www.inobtr.org/parents/defining-internet-safety-issues/, retrieved on September 14^th, 2012.

Media Smart, Acceptable Use Policies for Internet Use, http://mediasmarts.ca/backgrounder/acceptable-use-policites-internet-use, retrieved on September 15^th, 2012.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NetSmartz Workshop, http://www.netsmartz.org, retrieved on September 14^th, 2012.

Net Safe Kids, http://www.nap.edu/netsafekids/internet.html, retrieved on September 14^th, 2012.

Wired Safety, https://www.wiredsafety.org/, retrieved on September 15^th, 2012.

Technology and Culture

The following matrix explores the relationship that computers and technology has on learning, as well as its interrelationship with culture.

Attributes Generally Sought in Students
Culture of Technology		Sustaining Learning Growth	Developing Prerogatives	Social Responsibilities	Perceptions of Individuality	Personal Motivation
	Technology Culture	Having and using the latest technologies requires learning how to access and utilize them.	The right to access and use technology to meet learning needs. Many, if not most, Net Generation students have never known a world without computers, the World Wide Web, highly interactive video games, and cellular phones. (4)	Sharing technological access and collaboration. The emergence of social networking technologies and the evolution of digital games have helped shape the new ways in which people are communicating, collaborating, operating, and forming social constructs … shaping the way we think, work, and live. (6)	Technology provides an easier means of individual / self-expression.	The intrinsic want / need to have and use the latest technology.
	Culture in Technology	Technology allows for greater differentiation of instruction and evaluation, granting students easier access to the curriculum. In the age of print, people thought of knowledge as fixed and hierarchical, something that only great minds could change in a slow process of discovery. Not so in the age of electronic learning, where knowledge creation is fluid, fast, and far more democratic. (2)	The right that students should be allowed to access the curriculum through their learning style. Today’s youth have been completely normalized by digital technologies—it is a fully integrated aspect of their lives. Many in this group are using new media & technologies to create new things in new ways, learn new things in new ways, & communicate in new ways with new people— behaviors that have become hardwired in their ways of thinking & operating in the world. (6)	Technology that allows individuals to become greater contributors to society.	Individual learning styles are recognized and targeted.	The internal need / want for self-improvement. Technology can aid greatly in achieving this goal. Digital games, whether computer-, game console-, or handheld-based, are characterized by rules, goals & objectives, outcomes & feedback, conflict / competition / challenge / opposition, interaction, & representation of story or more simply, purposeful, goal-oriented, rule-based activity that the players perceive as fun. (6)
	Learning in Technology Culture	Learning about the technology / media, how it can be used, and using it to accomplish an objective. More and more, the skills that our students need to take with them are those that will provide a strong foundation for their own lifelong learning, ones that help them navigate a much more complex and changing landscape of information. (1) Net Generation students have high expectations for faculty members' technology knowledge and skill. (4)	The right to use current and emerging technologies in learning environments. In this world, we can learn in spaces & places that look, feel & act nothing like our traditional classrooms – places where we interact with people who are as passionate as we are about whatever it is we want to learn; places where learning is the focus, not tasks, not assignments, not grades; places where we form communities & relationships in deeply meaningful ways, even though we may never meet other members face to face. (1)	To use methods of learning that are the most effective and applicable to today’s world and for the world to come. To not bring harm to self or others when engaging in a learning activity or exploration. Unfortunately, there are predators “out there”, and, ultimately, some of our students will put themselves at risk. So we must make sure that they are aware of those dangers, and that they have the skills to deal with those dangers should they appear. (1)	Technology allows for greater individualization of instruction and evaluation. For true technological advance to occur, the computers must be personal to each learner. When used properly and well for education, these computers become extensions of the students' personal self and brain. They must have each student's stuff and each student's style all over them, and that is something sharing just doesn't allow. (5)	The intrinsic fascination of having / using something new or of doing something differently. Educators are trying to tap into that quite committed effort that kids put into gaming … (3)
	Learning Without Technology	Recognizing that there are concepts that cannot be or not best learned through the use of technology and to seek out more appropriate methods. Students view expert faculty members who are committed to teaching as the key ingredient for learning success. (4)	The right to use the method of learning that best meets the students learning needs. Basic skills (reading / writing) will continue to be important, though even those literacies change when considering hypertext environments. (1)	Recognizing that technology has its place in the learning environment; however there are many instances where learning can occur more efficiently and effectively without its use.	The concept of differentiated instruction / evaluation recognized that importance of individual learning styles.	Providing possible opportunities more intimate learning experiences and interactions.

(1) Richardson, W. (2010), Locked in an irrelevant system? Network building and the new literacy, Education Canada, 47 (4)

(2) Cookson, P. W. (2009), What would Socrates say? Teaching for the 21^st Century, 67 (1)

(3) Vasagar, J. (2012), Technological innovations could revolutionise classroom learning, The Guardian

(4) Roberts, G. R., Technology and learning expectations of the net generation, Educause

(5) Prensky, M. (2005), Shaping tech for the classroom, Edutopia

(6) Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., Groff, J., Haas, J. (2009), Using the technology of today, in the classroom today

Majority Feel NL School System Needs Bulldozing

 At the beginning of the 2012 – 2013 school year CBC Newfoundland and Labrador conducted a one question survey online. The topic was the school system in the Province. The results are startling, but given the world in which we (and our students) live it shouldn't be. The results just prior to this posting there were 1045 people surveyed. The results are:

7.75% thought we have never had so many top-flight students coming through the schools;

26.22% thought we've made solid gains, and need to focus now on excellence;

26.99% felt that we're mediocre, our schools need better teachers, resources and leadership;

11.58% responded that we're far behind the rest of Canada;

27.46% thought that our school system is flunking, and needs to be bulldozed.

Although this is a rather informal survey, the message is loud and clear ... our education system needs to change. Can we leave things as they are when less than 35% feel that we have a successful system?

Here is the link and the poll is still open. Go and place your vote!

http://www.cbc.ca/nl/features/backtoschool/

Teens Who Sext More Likely to be Sexually Active

The article below was originally tweeted by CNet on September 17, 2012. These stats are startling to say the least.

A study of 1,800 high-school students in Los Angeles suggests that 1 in 6 teens have sexted, and that those teens are seven times more likely to be having actual sex.

Here's the link:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57514480-76/teens-who-sext-more-likely-to-be-sexually-active/

Why It's Never Mattered That America's Schools 'Lag' Behind Other Countries

This is an interesting article by the people at techcrunch. I though I would share. It does make me wonder why we do things the way we do.


http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/16/why-its-never-mattered-that-americas-schools-lag-behind-other-countries/

A Short Apology

Well, I guess it was a little bit rude of me to make two blog posts without telling a little about myself. I will try to rectify this a little in this blog posting.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am enrolled in the M. Ed. IT program at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Currently, I am doing my second course in this program, so technically I’m not a newbie, but just one course removed.

I've been teaching for 16 years, spending the last 10 teaching Grade 6 at a small K-8 school just outside of Stephenville, NL. As a teacher, I’ve always been interested in incorporating technology into the classroom and over the last several years I’ve been working hard to try to do this as effectively as possible. I use Moodle with my Grade 6 students on a daily basis and also work in conjunction with the Grade 5 teacher at my school to offer an Art / Tech Art program to the Grade 6 – 8 students.

I’m originally from Burgeo (a small community on Newfoundland’s southwest coast), however I’ve spent the majority of my career teaching in the Port au Port / Bay St. George area. I’m very happily married and have two children in the school system.

Being from Burgeo, a teacher, and a parent has provided me with numerous noteworthy experiences and plenty of stories to tell.

And So It Begins

In making my second attempt into the world of blogging I wondered why some people don’t blog. Are they like me? Do we share similar road blocks?

In doing a quick search I found a blog by Major Hayden entitled “WhyTechnical People Should Blog (But Don’t)”.  He lists several issues that hold potential bloggers back. Some of these are:
* Believing that you must be an expert on something to blog.
* Believing they do not have anything of value to blog about.
* Fear of saying something that is incorrect.
* Fear that online reader will think negatively of them.
* Not knowing who to write for (audience).
* Not know what to write about.

I have to agree, I have many of these same concerns, as I’m sure many others do as well. Hayden gives some really good advice in his blog.

* Write about what interests you whether you’re an expert on it or not. (Check)

* Don’t be afraid to fail. (Making good progress, so Check)

* Be responsive to your readers. (In progress. As I’m writing this only I make up my audience. But I will try to be.)

* Even if you think nobody will read your post, write it. (Check. Doing that right now.)

* Always ensure your voice shines through in your writing – this is what makes it special and appealing. (Check … I think. Do I sound like I’m from the south coast of Newfoundland? Did I drop my “h’s” and add them where they don’t belong?)

Perhaps the best advice comes from Hayden’s mom. She told her son that “everyone has a story and that writing can be therapeutic in ways you probably would not consider until you have written something that someone else enjoys.”  This blog is part of my story. I hope you enjoy reading it.