What types of data is your school or district collecting on students? How have you seen it being used to improve learning?
My school uses several programs for data collection. Teachers use "Gradespeed" to keeps track of assignments and grades. Gradespeed also holds personal information about each student, such as address, phone number, parents' names, etc. But for some reason, this information is rarely up to date. More accurate information is found a completely different program called D2SC.
D2SC is the vehicle through which IISD administers assessments. Summative assessments (semester exams) and formative assessments (TEKS check quizzes) are administered, graded, and analyzed with D2SC. The program also offers biographical information on each student dating back to the student's entry into the District, I believe.
These programs improve learning in a number of way. For one, test validity is improved because administrators see which questions are problematic for students. Then, administrators go over these problematic questions with the teaches in district-wide meetings. Also, students often prefer to use computer in their assessments. When students are more comfortable in their testing situation, they are more likely to perform well. I can't explain nexactly why students prefer a computer screen to a packet of paper, but that's the way it is. Perhaps students are intimidated by the papers and are more comfortable workign with the machine that provides them with so much joy (through social networks).
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
School or District Improvements!
What plans does your school building or district have for improvement over the next several years?
How will they collect data to inform the process or measure the effectiveness of the plan? (To find this information, you may need to schedule a conversation with your principal or a district representative.)
Where do you see the future of assessment in your classroom, school or district?
My district - Irving ISD - has all sorts of plans in the works. Drive by most of our campuses, including Nimitz High School where I work, and you'll see what I mean. Construction abound, and it's for projects that would blow your mind.
I spoke with a counselor at Lamar Middle School about the new middle school currently under construction just a mile or two away. Lamar's student body of 800 should be reduced by 200. This middle school is unlike any other in the nation. It's defined as "net-zero," meaning that the energy it consumes should be no more than the energy it produces! Any excess energy produced will be sold with the profits going to Irving ISD. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it's the truth. For more information, click here! http://www.irvingisd.net/ppage/netzeromiddleschool.htm.
For data collection, my district uses online program called D2SC, formerly known as EdSoft. I spoke with my campus technician Bill Briseno about the issue of data collection and how it relates to D2SC. He explained to me that the information gathered by the formal assessments administered via D2SC is backed up on Irving ISD servers as well as a private company's server's. Those latter servers are kept in an undisclosed location - even though Bill's my friend, he wasn't willing to dish.
I see the future of assessment within my district focusing on D2SC-like programs. Our staff and administrators are only getting younger, and that typically means the faculty is much more receptive to this kind of change. I'm looking forward to administering formative and summative assessments via laptops. Computers streamline so many areas of education, but the campus direction and the faculty training is so important. The future of assessment is clear, but the road won't be easy!
How will they collect data to inform the process or measure the effectiveness of the plan? (To find this information, you may need to schedule a conversation with your principal or a district representative.)
Where do you see the future of assessment in your classroom, school or district?
My district - Irving ISD - has all sorts of plans in the works. Drive by most of our campuses, including Nimitz High School where I work, and you'll see what I mean. Construction abound, and it's for projects that would blow your mind.
I spoke with a counselor at Lamar Middle School about the new middle school currently under construction just a mile or two away. Lamar's student body of 800 should be reduced by 200. This middle school is unlike any other in the nation. It's defined as "net-zero," meaning that the energy it consumes should be no more than the energy it produces! Any excess energy produced will be sold with the profits going to Irving ISD. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it's the truth. For more information, click here! http://www.irvingisd.net/ppage/netzeromiddleschool.htm.
For data collection, my district uses online program called D2SC, formerly known as EdSoft. I spoke with my campus technician Bill Briseno about the issue of data collection and how it relates to D2SC. He explained to me that the information gathered by the formal assessments administered via D2SC is backed up on Irving ISD servers as well as a private company's server's. Those latter servers are kept in an undisclosed location - even though Bill's my friend, he wasn't willing to dish.
I see the future of assessment within my district focusing on D2SC-like programs. Our staff and administrators are only getting younger, and that typically means the faculty is much more receptive to this kind of change. I'm looking forward to administering formative and summative assessments via laptops. Computers streamline so many areas of education, but the campus direction and the faculty training is so important. The future of assessment is clear, but the road won't be easy!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Current assessment practices in my classroom, school, and district
Every school district implements its own style of assessments. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of assessment practices within Irving ISD is its intertwining approach between our district and school administrators. Our federal and state governments are often described as interacting in the style of a marble-cake, and the same can be said about IISD as we coordinate our formative and summative assessments.
Halfway through each six weeks, our district administers online “TEKS Checks” to the four core classes. At the high school level, students participate in the formative assessments with their district-provided, take-home laptops and school-provided wi-fi. The results of the short quizzes do not affect the students’ averages in any way. However, at the end of the semester, the district provides the core classes’ final exams, and in this instance, the scores do count as the final exam grades that go on the report card. The district’s style of assessment is technologically modern but not as varied as the various styles within each school.
Teachers use the styles of assessments with which they are familiar, and in my classes (World Geography and Government) the methods are varied and differentiated. Project-based learning provides excellent opportunities for students to meet the TEKS and NETS objectives. These assignments include creating travelling brochures using Microsoft Publisher, short movies about specific social studies topics using Windows Movie Maker, and slide shows via PowerPoint. By the end of the year, students have built a portfolio of their computer-based assignments, which makes for easy grading and encourages the students to take pride in their classroom assignments.
Unfortunately, not all teachers are familiar with the technology provided to them by the district. After all, some teachers have taught the same subject for decades without using the Internet or any particular software, and they hesitant to make major changes in their curriculum. If these teachers incorporate portfolios, it would be in a spiral notebook or three-ring binder, which does not meet any technology standards. It is incumbent on me and my classmates to promote the use the 21st Century technology among our respective faculties and utilize the technological tools provided by the district because our students deserve the most modern education they can receive.
Halfway through each six weeks, our district administers online “TEKS Checks” to the four core classes. At the high school level, students participate in the formative assessments with their district-provided, take-home laptops and school-provided wi-fi. The results of the short quizzes do not affect the students’ averages in any way. However, at the end of the semester, the district provides the core classes’ final exams, and in this instance, the scores do count as the final exam grades that go on the report card. The district’s style of assessment is technologically modern but not as varied as the various styles within each school.
Teachers use the styles of assessments with which they are familiar, and in my classes (World Geography and Government) the methods are varied and differentiated. Project-based learning provides excellent opportunities for students to meet the TEKS and NETS objectives. These assignments include creating travelling brochures using Microsoft Publisher, short movies about specific social studies topics using Windows Movie Maker, and slide shows via PowerPoint. By the end of the year, students have built a portfolio of their computer-based assignments, which makes for easy grading and encourages the students to take pride in their classroom assignments.
Unfortunately, not all teachers are familiar with the technology provided to them by the district. After all, some teachers have taught the same subject for decades without using the Internet or any particular software, and they hesitant to make major changes in their curriculum. If these teachers incorporate portfolios, it would be in a spiral notebook or three-ring binder, which does not meet any technology standards. It is incumbent on me and my classmates to promote the use the 21st Century technology among our respective faculties and utilize the technological tools provided by the district because our students deserve the most modern education they can receive.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Region 10 Tech Conference
The 16th Annual Region 10 Conference in Richardson boasted 22nd Century technology, I tell ya. And that's no typo. Next go-around is Tuesday, May 10, 2011 - RSVP while you still can!
Crowded sign-in area not the highlight of the day.
The conference was packed - standing room only. I was sitting in the one empty seat you see!
Not surprisingly, Atomic Learning had a booth in the vendor's section.
Lessons of the future?? Classroom sets of 3-D glasses are a real potential!
This picture looks a lot better with the glasses on...
The conference featured dozens of tutorials and demonstrations... I showed up 10 minutes early to learn how to navigate NBC's archives and it was already at capacity. A Region 10 employee happliy informed me that over 500 people were attending.
This hole-puncher sized gadget turns white boards into smart boards. You'd have to see it to believe it.
The "eno" was similar to the Mimio...
The Bright Link was a projector and Mimio wrapped in one!! Only $1800. Surprisingly low-cost considering smart boards run into the thousands...
Head set for recording/playback. Great for ELL classes. This salesman is demonstrating how durable the things are. I was more interested in his accent than his product. He turned out to be Irish.
Can't emphasize how crowded it was. Great vibe in the place. Everybody was excited to be there, discovering new websites and software, chatting with the vendors. I'll definitely be there next year. Who knows, maybe I'll even be presenting!
Crowded sign-in area not the highlight of the day.
The conference was packed - standing room only. I was sitting in the one empty seat you see!
Not surprisingly, Atomic Learning had a booth in the vendor's section.
Lessons of the future?? Classroom sets of 3-D glasses are a real potential!
This picture looks a lot better with the glasses on...
The conference featured dozens of tutorials and demonstrations... I showed up 10 minutes early to learn how to navigate NBC's archives and it was already at capacity. A Region 10 employee happliy informed me that over 500 people were attending.
This hole-puncher sized gadget turns white boards into smart boards. You'd have to see it to believe it.
The "eno" was similar to the Mimio...
The Bright Link was a projector and Mimio wrapped in one!! Only $1800. Surprisingly low-cost considering smart boards run into the thousands...
Head set for recording/playback. Great for ELL classes. This salesman is demonstrating how durable the things are. I was more interested in his accent than his product. He turned out to be Irish.
Can't emphasize how crowded it was. Great vibe in the place. Everybody was excited to be there, discovering new websites and software, chatting with the vendors. I'll definitely be there next year. Who knows, maybe I'll even be presenting!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Digital Data Back-up
Conversations with Bill Briseno
Nimitz High School Campus Technician
Irving ISD is certainly an exceptional district when it comes to backing up data. Ours is the only public school district in the state that affords laptops for the students as well as the teachers. In addition, students and teachers are allotted “H Drives,” which are drives accessible only through the IISD Intranet, holding one gigabyte of free space. H Drives are especially useful as they accessible from any school desktop or laptop, so if a student forgets their laptop at home, they can pull up an assignment from the H Drive via a classroom desktop. One can imagine the amount of memory required for the many thousands and students and faculty members across the district.
I spoke with Mr. Briseno, Nimitz’ CT, about the process of backing up so much information. He explained to me that the backing-up of information is even more complex than one might think. The backup is initially done at the each campus every night. He showed me the room where this process occurs. With its wires and drives stacked and interlacing in an expensive maze, the aesthetics reminded me of ENIAC due its sheer size. This room was no bigger than a walk-in closet, and definitely claustrophobia-inducing, After the initial on-campus back-up, the hundreds of terabytes and are then backed-up at an off-site location. Mr. Briseno did not take me there, and I don’t think he would have had I asked. Obviously, security is of paramount importance. Two years ago, Irving ISD was the subject of a major identity theft scandal. Hundreds of employees’ Social Security numbers, addresses, and the like were stolen from dumpsters behind the administration building. Campus technicians like Briseno make sure no digital-equivalent to that crime ever occurs.
Briseno was happy to elaborate on the specifics of the process. He told me, “All data is stored on Dell servers both onsite and offsite. As data is collected, [the software] automatically updates the hard drives on the server. A job is run late into the night that will backup the onsite server to the offsite server.” And it is not just H Drives stored on the servers. “Besides storing data bases and production files,” he continued, “payroll, email, inventory and personnel information is backed up.” You can see why he did not volunteer the location of the off-site server. Memory storage will be a major issue in the digital age of education we currently enjoy, and thanks to campus technicians we can have a good level faith that the faculty and students’ info is backed-up, safe and secure.
Nimitz High School Campus Technician
Irving ISD is certainly an exceptional district when it comes to backing up data. Ours is the only public school district in the state that affords laptops for the students as well as the teachers. In addition, students and teachers are allotted “H Drives,” which are drives accessible only through the IISD Intranet, holding one gigabyte of free space. H Drives are especially useful as they accessible from any school desktop or laptop, so if a student forgets their laptop at home, they can pull up an assignment from the H Drive via a classroom desktop. One can imagine the amount of memory required for the many thousands and students and faculty members across the district.
I spoke with Mr. Briseno, Nimitz’ CT, about the process of backing up so much information. He explained to me that the backing-up of information is even more complex than one might think. The backup is initially done at the each campus every night. He showed me the room where this process occurs. With its wires and drives stacked and interlacing in an expensive maze, the aesthetics reminded me of ENIAC due its sheer size. This room was no bigger than a walk-in closet, and definitely claustrophobia-inducing, After the initial on-campus back-up, the hundreds of terabytes and are then backed-up at an off-site location. Mr. Briseno did not take me there, and I don’t think he would have had I asked. Obviously, security is of paramount importance. Two years ago, Irving ISD was the subject of a major identity theft scandal. Hundreds of employees’ Social Security numbers, addresses, and the like were stolen from dumpsters behind the administration building. Campus technicians like Briseno make sure no digital-equivalent to that crime ever occurs.
Briseno was happy to elaborate on the specifics of the process. He told me, “All data is stored on Dell servers both onsite and offsite. As data is collected, [the software] automatically updates the hard drives on the server. A job is run late into the night that will backup the onsite server to the offsite server.” And it is not just H Drives stored on the servers. “Besides storing data bases and production files,” he continued, “payroll, email, inventory and personnel information is backed up.” You can see why he did not volunteer the location of the off-site server. Memory storage will be a major issue in the digital age of education we currently enjoy, and thanks to campus technicians we can have a good level faith that the faculty and students’ info is backed-up, safe and secure.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Reflections on class
My generation grew up at the perfect time for the digital age. When I was 10, my house boasted a modem capable of 28.8 kilobytes per second. When we upgraded to 56k, it was the talk of the town. My point is that I'm familiar with the terminology, hardware, software, and general know-how of the tech realm. But I have so much to learn, and I know that thanks to Professor Smolka's course.
These past few weeks I've trained myself to use digital and video cameras at a level worthy of grad school. In the past, my use of cameras for class assignments wasn't anything more difficult than what you'd expect from a recreational use. Can't say that anymore. I've used iMovie 9, Cyberlink Powerdirector, Sony's software, and Pentax software all for class assignments. I feel great in my proficiency with that tech.
Thanks to this most recent tech course, I'm fluent in Audacity, Windows Movie Maker, and Powerpoint. My skillset so drastically increased since January that - for the first time - I feel worthy of earning a Master in Education, and the MTT. As a result, my confidence is at an all-time high.
My goals for next semester - master the software for animation. I found that so difficult, as you know if you've read my blog entry about Alice 2.0. My other goal is land a different teaching job at my high school. I currently teach World Geography, and we incorporate laptops as much as possible. My desire is to teach Epic Government. If you don't know Epic, it's the new method of teaching government and economics through an online tutorial. See why I want it?
These past few weeks I've trained myself to use digital and video cameras at a level worthy of grad school. In the past, my use of cameras for class assignments wasn't anything more difficult than what you'd expect from a recreational use. Can't say that anymore. I've used iMovie 9, Cyberlink Powerdirector, Sony's software, and Pentax software all for class assignments. I feel great in my proficiency with that tech.
Thanks to this most recent tech course, I'm fluent in Audacity, Windows Movie Maker, and Powerpoint. My skillset so drastically increased since January that - for the first time - I feel worthy of earning a Master in Education, and the MTT. As a result, my confidence is at an all-time high.
My goals for next semester - master the software for animation. I found that so difficult, as you know if you've read my blog entry about Alice 2.0. My other goal is land a different teaching job at my high school. I currently teach World Geography, and we incorporate laptops as much as possible. My desire is to teach Epic Government. If you don't know Epic, it's the new method of teaching government and economics through an online tutorial. See why I want it?
Classrooms of the future... is now.
Students turning in assignments on-line. Textbooks accessible via the Internet. Teachers posting homework on their website. No, that's not the future of classrooms. That's now.
When I attended high school in the late-90's, my school was at the forefront of this recent technological revolution. Webmastering, Desktop Publishing, C++ were courses available to us priviledged students. That's impressive when you think back over a decade ago, our administrators had the foresight to train us in these sorts of programs. Fast-forward to 2010, and every school offers those courses. Every school nowadays prioritizes the incorporation of modern technology into the classroom. Well, some schools moreso than others.
Laptops are affordable - less than $500. Maintenance is more feasible as the parts drop in price. The Web 2.0 revolution is giving us free and user-friendly software. There's an elephant in the room, though, and it's time to talk about it.
"Old" teachers. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. They're great at what they do, the aged baby-boomers who put off retirement because 1) they're great at teaching, and 2) retirement is boring. But herein lies the problem. Students nowadays need the proper training in modern technology in order to succeed in today's workforce. From my experience, the seasoned veterans of teaching are typically unwilling to participate in the necessary training for technological improvement. Even if they attend the training for the mandatory training hours, the teachers don't intend on changing their tried-and-true lessons plans.
This problem couldn't be more urgent. I don't have a solution to the problem of the belligerent old-timer who says "Why fix it if it ain't broke?" Do you?
When I attended high school in the late-90's, my school was at the forefront of this recent technological revolution. Webmastering, Desktop Publishing, C++ were courses available to us priviledged students. That's impressive when you think back over a decade ago, our administrators had the foresight to train us in these sorts of programs. Fast-forward to 2010, and every school offers those courses. Every school nowadays prioritizes the incorporation of modern technology into the classroom. Well, some schools moreso than others.
Laptops are affordable - less than $500. Maintenance is more feasible as the parts drop in price. The Web 2.0 revolution is giving us free and user-friendly software. There's an elephant in the room, though, and it's time to talk about it.
"Old" teachers. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. They're great at what they do, the aged baby-boomers who put off retirement because 1) they're great at teaching, and 2) retirement is boring. But herein lies the problem. Students nowadays need the proper training in modern technology in order to succeed in today's workforce. From my experience, the seasoned veterans of teaching are typically unwilling to participate in the necessary training for technological improvement. Even if they attend the training for the mandatory training hours, the teachers don't intend on changing their tried-and-true lessons plans.
This problem couldn't be more urgent. I don't have a solution to the problem of the belligerent old-timer who says "Why fix it if it ain't broke?" Do you?
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