Day 12: Going on the Road

Making a presentation to young people is very different than one made to a group of adults. As teachers, we were probably made painfully aware of this the first time we got in front of a classroom. We need to get to the point and make it relevant. We need show that we are interested in what we are saying or our students won’t be either. And we need to keep our cool. Sometimes one of your “audience” members will do something to distract you from your train of thought. This when remembering 5 Fail-Safe Tips When You Forget or Get Flustered During a Presentation will help you out. I never thought of “fiddling with fodder” to buy some time to get my thoughts back. I may have to try that in my classroom.

Day 11 Readings: Portfolios and Assessment

An assessment portfolio is designed to show a student’s progress toward and achievement of certain objectives. They are collaborative in that students self-assess and reflect on the pieces they choose to include. It is a true teaching tool in that it engages the student’s metacognitive processes. They begin to understand what they know. However, until the culture of assessment changes, the use of portfolios as an alternative assessment will be hard to implement. The desire for objective, standardized, numerical scores still guides many parents, administrators, universities, and employers.

Day 10: Electronic Portfolios for Students

Digital portfolios provide a richer picture of what our students can do. Instead of the simple snapshot in time that a multiple-choice test might provide, the e-portfolio allows for a broader picture over time. For elementary students, the ability to show growth over time is an ideal purpose for a digital portfolio. For the parents of my students, that growth is their primary concern. As a sixth grade teacher, the opportunity to give my students more involvement in choosing what they feel is a true reflection of what they know or can do is one which I can’t pass up.

Day 9: Electronic Portfolios

Dr. Barrett points out that the versatility of electronic portfolios is their biggest benefit. Eportfolios allow you to add links to navigate around your collection of artifacts. They also allow you to add more than text and images; audio and video can also be added. As a society, we have moved beyond one-dimensional text and pictures. The compilation of our best teaching practices must also be multi-dimensional, especially since these portfolios frequently serve many purposes – documenting the meeting of standards, showing depth of learning, and highlighting teaching competence.

Day 8: Professional/Teaching Portfolios

If teachers wish to be treated as professionals, then we must be ready to show evidence of our expertise. A portfolio presents much more information than a simple resume; it provides a snapshot of our daily practices and thus a clearer picture of what we do. With the proliferation of technology tools available, it makes sense for teachers to utilize digital portfolios in lieu of paper binders. But, in order for this collection of our best practices to be effective, we must go beyond merely grabbing everything we have created for inclusion in the portfolio. We must take the time to reflect on what we have done and choose only the most relevant examples. Unfortunately, presentation of our portfolios often only happens when we search for a new job (which hopefully isn’t too often.) But, in my graduate work experiences, I have discovered that in order to rejuvenate our teaching, we must take the time to celebrate our successes occasionally.

Day 7: Tips for Different Types of Presentations

The keys to a good presentation are preparation and conclusion. I tell my writing students that they must provide a finish for their readers. The audience remembers the beginning and the end of your story and maybe some of the middle.
Unfortunately, as teachers, we are usually in a time crunch, so we skip the planning stage and often cut or rush the conclusion of the presentation. Instead we use what time and energy we have on the content of the presentation.
As I think back over some of my less-than-successful presentations versus my enjoyable ones, I realize that the ones I enjoyed the most were the presentations where I felt most prepared and confident. My audience responded in kind. It’s worth taking the time.

Day 6: Using Multimedia Peripherals

Although I found the Top 10 Tips to be informative, the article about 1001 Educational Uses for a Digital Camera got my imagination started. I started thinking about linking curriculum with my digital photos. At the beginning of the year, I take an individual photo of each student and hang it in my framed friends’ gallery. I take another at the end of the year so the students can see how much they have changed. But, it never occurred to me to link the photos to an introduction interview or connect it to a data sheet for math. Such a simple extension to something I’m already doing. I find myself examining my curriculum with a closer eye to see if there are any other ways I could use digital photos.