As I created my Twitter list, I realized the potential use of
this tool. For my personal research, this list will be a valuable resource for
me to refer to for information, quotes, articles, news, and ideas. As an
educator, it is a great way to keep up to date with current technology tools
and stay in touch with other professionals in my field. It is also a way to
hear what the experts think about current issues. In the tweets of various
professionals, I found many links to very informative and useful sources.
Before I began my search, I decided on some criteria for
inclusion in my list. I wanted them to be professionals, preferably in the
field of education or technology. They had to be mostly professional posts on
their profile. I wanted them to be experienced users of various Web 2.0 tools.
I was specifically looking for feeds that included tweets about assessment in
the 21st Century. I wanted to focus on formative and summative
assessment of digital natives using Web 2.0 tools. I also looked for tweets
about authentic assessment and support of metacognition.
This list includes many resources about using technology in
the classroom in general. There are many tweets about connectivism, digital
citizenship, and 21st Century learning. I hope that this list will
be helpful for education professionals who are looking for ways to integrate
technology into their instruction, and particularly assess students in a more
meaningful way.
Some of the resources I found during my search really caught
my attention. I found several articles about connected learning. In Dr. Scott
McCleod’s blog “Dangerously Irrelevant”, he says that learning should be
interest-powered, peer-supported, and academically oriented. This kind of
learning involves a shared purpose with others who share the same interest,
collaboration with various individuals, and connections with other cultures and
communities. This blog also shows an infographic that visually represents how
this kind of learning works.
Another resource that piqued my interest was “Digital
Portfolios for Primary Students!” by Kathy Cassidy. In the past, I have thought
that Web 2.0 tools were for secondary students more than elementary students.
This article proved me wrong. She shows how primary students are using digital
portfolios, podcasts, and blogs to showcase their learning. The students are
able to personalize the presentation of their acquired skills and knowledge,
and they obviously find this task very exciting.
I admit that exploring Twitter has been challenging for me,
but as a growing professional, I enjoy learning new things that will make me a
more effective teacher. I have seen how technology has caught the attention of
our students, and it is critical for educators to harness that and use it make
our instruction more relevant, engaging and modern.
I really like your topic of using Web tools for formative and summative. I think a lot of times we forget that we can also use this new technology not only to teach but to asses, and I can’t wait to hear more about using the Internet and other digital tools to asses our students.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I don’t think of elementary students using these types of technologies, but they are very capable. And I think Cassidy is on the something by using portfolios, blogs and other sources for the students to display their work. Having these tools easily accessible helps teachers grade their work and assess the students’ learning.