Designed Video For Learning

In this article, The author describes the importance of video and multimedia not only for students, but for teachers ans parents.  When I was in school, elementary through High School, we had very few multimedia tools would use.  We had an over-head projector, computers for word processing only and movie reels for the projector.  We did not have the internet, video cameras, editing tools, etc. 
This author breaks down the importance of video into four categories.  First one is Seeing.  Seeing is a way to show people something they might not have seen before.  The second one is Engaging.  Engaging is a way to pull a person in to a situation or topic and keeps them interested.  The third one is Doing.  Doing is the attitude-watch and doing what others do. And skill-intentional effort and practice.  The last one is Saying.  Saying is why and how, facts and ways to tell the information.  The use of video and multimedia are important to all types of learners.  I would have liked to have an option on how I could learn.  Teachers can also benefit from computer use in the classroom.  Videos can be used for teaching the class as a whole or specific for one student. 
Not until I was in college did I use the video for learning. I as a pole vaulter at SDSU and we would video tape our selves vaulting.  After each jump we were able to see what techniques we were doing and not doing.  This helped me improve my vaults.   
Designed Video will definitely improve the teaching and learning in the classroom. 

Computational Thinking. Are computers or humans better problem solvers?

In the article, “Computational Thinking” the author describes the similarities and differences between human and computer computing process.  Computational thinking is a skill that children and adults should possess.  I thought you needed a computer or be a computer scientist to figure out the answer.  Nope, just a background knowledge and a little planning.  Statistics, algorithms, patterns, mathematical engineering.  What?!?  What do these words have to do with thinking? 

These different types of thinking occur in our everyday life.  What line is shorter at the gas station?  Where did I leave my keys?  How many times should I rent a steam cleaner before I buy one?  We have been taught to take a step back and analyze a situation and try to create a desired outcome.  Does it always go our way?  No. 

So, are humans or computers better problem solvers?

1.     Humans:  multi level thinkers, clever and imaginative, make computers exciting, and communicate and interact with other humans (emotion).

2.     Computers: dull and boring, restricted to software and programs (no emotions or feelings).

I think combining the two will create a greater learning experience.  Today the computer is so important in schools. 

NETS for students is #4 Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making.  Students are expected to plan, collect data, and analyze data to come up with an educated solution to a problem.  Students should be able to understand different perspectives to the solution. 

In elementary and high school, our type of thinking was very limited and narrow.  We did not have the of the internet, we only had books in the library.  I think that is so important to require students to be familiar with information in the internet and to show them how computers and humans can work/think together.

Understanding Rubrics

Understanding Rubric by Heidi Goodrich

In the article Understanding Rubric the author not only defines what rubric is, she tells why you use it and how you use it.  So what is rubric?  It is a list of criteria for what is expected in a piece of work.  It is use to support and assess students learning.  A rubric generally tells you exactly what the teacher is looking for.  Do teachers like it?  Do students like it? Yes and no. 

What is a rubric?  A rubric is a list that is divided into columns labeled from excellent to poor.  The columns are divided into a grid.  Each box provides an explanation of what is expected in each column.  Some examples might be: purpose, organization, details, voice and mechanics.  Each of these examples should be specific on what is considered a good piece of work. 

Why use rubrics?  The author gives five reasons of why teachers should use a rubric.  First, they can improve student performance as well as monitor it by making teacher’s expectations clear.  Second, they help students become more thoughtful judges of quality of their own and others’ work.  Third, it reduces the amount of time teachers spend grading students’ work.   Fourth, it promotes flexibility in learning styles.  It can accommodate all type of learners from gate to special needs.  Last, they are self-explanatory.  It should be easy to use and easy to explain. 

How do you create a rubric?  A rubric should be modified to each instructors teaching style.  Here are the author’s seven steps to creating a quality rubric. 1.  Look at models: provide students with a good paper and a bad paper.  2.  List criteria: what is important in a project.  3. Articulate gradations of quality: Describe excellent and poor levels of quality.  4. Practice on models: Practice on example papers.  5. Use self- and peer- assessment: Have the students get started and observe their assessments.  6. Revise:  After feedback, let students revise their work.  7. Use teacher assessment: Use same rubric as students to assess their work.

A 2^nd grade teacher used a rubric for assessing a “book talk.”  She wanted students to help her create and use a rubric to describe a book.  The students were responsible for defining the excellent to poor criteria.  They also performed a self and peer assessment on their reports. 

The NETS for students would fall under Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making.   It is this standard because it teaches to students to find out what is expected of them for each project.   

I think a rubric is beneficial to teachers and students because if made correctly, it will be an important tool to support and evaluate learning.