When my school district decided to become a 1:1 district in the fall of 2014, departments were tasked with finding creative ways to implement technology in the classroom. Not only was the district invested in this technology initiative and had to succeed on a performance level, but we also had to show the community that these devices were educational tools, not distractions made for gaming. There was a lot of skepticism from teachers, administrators, and community members. As much as people desired change, many were still content to do the things they way they had always been done. This complicated our task; how could we convince the community of the importance in the paradigm shift of teaching pedagogy, if we could barely convince ourselves.
We began with substitution, then augmentation, modification, and then redefinition. For better or worse we used the SAMR model for the implementation of technology based assessments in the classroom. To make this an easier task, we didn't want to leave teachers out in the cold. Collaboration helped bring departments and teachers of varying skill levels together, all for the common purpose of turning our school into one that truly reflected training students for the careers of tomorrow while using the innovative technology of today. All of this brings me to the point of this first post. How can we bring English classrooms into the digital age with materials that have really not changed since the invention of the printing press? Besides reading digital materials or having students turn in their papers using our Schoology interface, we needed to create projects that truly used technology in a new way, while still keeping with the rigorous standards outlined in the Common Core curriculum. The answer? Taking traditional assessments and giving them a 21st century makeover. To accomplish this we have began to implement authentic common assessments; having the students synthesize, create, and evaluate new tasks through a variety ways. For instance, the 10th grade students in our district must read Shakespeare's “Macbeth” as part of their drama unit. In the past the students had to memorize and perform a scene from the play in order to meet the public speaking requirements of common core, but with the help of the iPad and web tools, we were able to meet those same requirements in a more authentic way. Our students were tasked with creating a podcast explaining an idea inspired by the play. To make their podcast interesting as well as informative, the students had to write a script and create a storyboard using the digital story telling model, add in sound effects, and link their studies to outside experts and sources. The podcast was also linked to a webpage their group designer made with links to additional resources, pictures, facts, and an interactive poll. Students also had to use the social media feature of SoundCloud (The site to which their podcast was created and posted) to evaluate other students’ projects. In tis way students were still meeting the public speaking requirements, but using new web tools integrated into their assessment, synthesized information into an original creation, and evaluated themselves as well as others on their final product. This task also helped our department reflect on purpose. What was the purpose of having students memorize and recite? Did that assignment really have a place in today's English class? Maybe. But only if you were trying to master language in order to have a future on Broadway or in Hollywood. The podcast assignment still met all of the Common Core requirements for speaking and listening while facilitating student use of new technology such as the Garage Band software for editing and creation. Students also mastered web design, an applicable real world skill for many careers, and still met the writing and researching requirements of the 10th grade standards using journals, periodicals, and interviews from experts in their field of study. Below are the links to some of the projects, recently presented on May 19th, 2017. The first link, #feminism is to a podcast exploring the ideas of modern feminism in society and literature, and questioning whether lady Macbeth was truly a feminist character. The second link, "Do We Decide Our Own Fate?", looks at the concepts of Free Will and Determinism, and whether or not we truly have control over our own lives. They connect this concept to the meeting Macbeth has with the three witches, did they change his fate? Did he have free will? Or was their meeting and influence predetermined, in which Macbeth has no control over his actions and is free of immoral guilt. The last link, Do Ends Justify Means? explores the concepts of moral ambiguity with regards to decisions that can have a lasting impact on people as well as nations. This concept is linked to the play in which Lady Macbeth deals with the consequences of her ambitious quest for power. I believe this assessment truly reflects what it means to be a 21st century thinker and learner, and look forward to creating and sharing more authentic assessments. #Feminism Do We Decide Our Own Fate? Do Ends Justify Means?
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