Teacher Website

As a mother of a busy 4th grader, I always find that having access to a teacher’s website is very helpful. That is, of course, if the teacher actually uses it to its fullest potential. As a parent I want concise information on what my child is doing in class so I can build upon that and help him build connections and more background knowledge related to what he is covering in school. I expect the teacher to keep her/his page up-to-date, in addition to having links to useful web resources and pdf files of the material he receives. Also, parents love pictures of what students are doing regardless of the grade level. It is also helpful to know the homework students have and the rules and expectations of the teacher. Sounds easy right? Well, what I mentioned before was what an involve parent expects. However, teachers are overworked and underpaid as it is and asking them to use extra time to create this type of website can get some teachers upset. I personally see this “time” investment as being worthwhile since it will pay off in the end. For example, a teacher can post weekly letters on the website as opposed to printing reams of paper and sending it home with the student. This eliminates wasted paper and time that the teacher can be using for other important things. In addition, it makes it easier for parents, caregivers and students themselves, to take responsibility of their own learning. The students’ assignments, projects and tests will be readily available, therefore, “I did not know” or “I forgot” will not be an excuse anymore. Another benefit is that by posting weekly assignments, the teacher will be creating continuity for students who live in more than one home during the week. Teachers can be as creative as they want with their websites. For example they can post questions on it and have the students answer them via e-mail for extra credit. This way the teacher will be encouraging students to go to the website and exposing them to experience alternate ways of learning.

Rubric Evaluation

In my Technology class we were asked to talk about two different types of App evaluations. One was created by Katy Schrock and the second one by Harry Walker. Although the purpose of both of them was to help us evaluate how helpful an app is in the classroom, their approaches were totally different. I personally did not like the “Evaluation Rubric for IPod Apps” by Harry Walker. It seems very limiting, and simplistic. It provides a numerical rating with a description of what that specific number will represent. Well, what about if my 3 is more like a 4 for certain students or other educators? Apps can be used for many different purposes and different instructional levels; therefore, rating an app with one number does not seem to be the correct way to evaluate it. Although the domains covered (curriculum connection, authenticity, feedback, differentiation, user friendliness, student motivation) in this rubric seemed pertinent to evaluate an app, the numerical rating and its rigidity make this a poor rubric evaluation. The other evaluation created by Kathleen Schrock on the other hand, takes a more holistic approach to the app evaluation. It takes into consideration many different aspects such as the level of Bloom’s taxonomy being addressed, age appropriateness, title, content and grade level. In addition, it provides the educator an opportunity to input comments and brainstorm on different uses for it. This evaluation in addition to covering the same six domains that the previous rubric evaluation does, it also has four additional parts that provide useful information when deciding if an app will work to enrich your lesson or not. I believe the use of an evaluation rubric is very helpful to navigate the process of deciding what app to use, when to use it, what students are going to be exposed to it, and when in your lesson would it be a good time to integrate this technology. Additionally, it helps the educator to create a mental checklist of what is needed.