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Mini Project Two |
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In my school district,
1st-4th grade computer classes do not
currently receive formal assessment on our report cards. I
have teamed with some of the 4th grade teachers
in my school to create curricular-based technology projects,
which the classroom teachers grade in the subject area of
focus. Other than that, there has been no formal assessment
of the technology curriculum that is taught. I have just
done my best to introduce all the skills in the technology
scope and sequence my district provides for me. I then teach
and reteach the skills as necessary. The 4th grade currently does a
HyperStudio project for their Solar System Science unit. The
4th grade teachers take a grade for the projects
and we complete them during their weekly computer time. For
my Mini Project #2, I plan to create a checklist so that in
addition to the grade student's get from their classroom
teachers, they can also see the progress of the computer
skills covered during the project. The checklist would also
be a way for parents to see the skills we are covering in
computer class and the level the students are performing the
skills. As of now, the teachers and parents don't see the
project until they are in their final form. My aide and I
often spend time going through the projects with the
students making corrections and reteaching some of the
technology related steps and processes. Keeping a formal
checklist would provide me with a way to share with parents
and teachers the level of assistance the students had in the
technology related portions of the project. It will also
help us to determine what kinds of projects we could work on
in the future. This is a great way for me to measure and
chart the skills that I am supposed to cover in my
curriculum and will also allow me to show student growth
over the time. The project not only follows the scope and
sequence for technology skills in my district, the project
is also in alignment with the Illinois State Technology
Content Area Standards. I hope that this chart will increase
awareness about my computer program for teachers, parents,
and administrators. KWL Chart 1. The classroom teacher in the area of focus
grades the student's technology-based curriculum
projects. 2. There is no formal assessment of the
technology skills performed during the project. 3. Skills are simply taught, re-taught, and
reviewed, as it appears to be necessary. 1. A way to evaluate the technology skills used
and demonstrated by the students while creating the
projects. 2. How to assess the skills demonstrated in the
project by using a checklist to show the student's
level of mastery of technology skills. 3. A valid way to show classroom teachers and
parents the student's level of technology knowledge
after the project is finished. 1) The best way to use the checklist to provide
valid and fair assessment of the skills covered in
the project. 2) I learned to see the skills more individually
for each student, rather than as a whole class.
Student's strengths and weaknesses were more
apparent. For computer class, I usually begin a
project or introduce a new skill with a whole class
demonstration. In my computer lab, my computer is connected
to a TV monitor so that students will be able to see the
steps and procedures on a large screen. I demonstrate the
new steps and then provide detailed instructions for the
students to follow at their computers. Although I give the
demonstration and detailed directions, my aide and I often
have to walk some of the students through the steps
individually before they understand the concept we are
working on. I created the checklist as a way to monitor and
observe the student's progress and the amount of help the
students needed to complete the technology related
skills. We have 20-24 students per class and each
student is working on the same skills at their own
individual pace. The checklist I designed would give the
students one of the following ratings: When I first started using the checklist,
I quickly realized that it was almost impossible to monitor
each student's skill level myself when they were all
completing the tasks at the same time. There didn't seem to
be enough time to get around to each student in our 40
minute class period, while answering student questions at
the same time. At the end of the class, my aide and I were
desperately going through the list of names to try and give
them a rating. At this point, I also realized that I hadn't
determined what constituted each rating. I never set up a
standard to determine how each student received their
rating. I decided I needed something more anecdotal in order
for the evaluation to be valid. I went back to my three ratings and
decided that the number of questions the students asked
about a particular skill would determine which rating they
received. Then, my aide and I each armed ourselves
with the checklist and made tally marks each time a student
asked a question. At the end of the class, we would add the
tally marks and determine which rating the student would
receive for a particular skill. Next time we begin a project
with an evaluation checklist, I will use the tally mark
system from the beginning. When the project is complete, we will be
able to determine what skills need to be reviewed and
retaught, what types of projects we can accomplish next, and
what skills we can attempt to learn in the future. I also
plan to share the checklist with the classroom teachers. A
huge frustration for teachers is when the attempt technology
related projects in the classroom and they're not successful
because the skills necessary are below or beyond the
student's abilities. The information would be useful to them
in planning developmentally appropriate technology related
projects. The checklist will also provide concrete evidence
for teachers to share with parents for report cards and
conferences. Overall, I feel the evaluation checklist
has been a success. I would definitely incorporate
checklists in future projects. While I always felt I had a
general idea of what the students were capable of in
technology, the checklist really broke down the skills and
individualized them for me. It really showed each student's
strengths and weaknesses. Before, I think I generalized the
skills too much in that I grouped the students more by the
class as a whole, rather than by each individual student.
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