Blog Reflection#4

This week definately gave me alot to think about in regards to assessment and it also brought back many memories of countless hours reviewing chapter tests, unit tests, practice taks tests, and end of semester exams and no doubt they were all designed to see if the students had memorized everything they should.  I want to put in a LOL but it really is not funny.  I did many engaging activities and projects and research projects but when it was time for assessment the easiest format was multiple choice of terminology which is exactly what most TAKS questions resemble and that is the standard that I thought at the time was acceptable.  Electronic Portfolios would have been so much more fun for students to participate in and so much more enjoyable to use as a assessment tool.  I always had students create powerpoints for class presentations and I thought that was the most amazing tool.  Students would practically cut and paste text add a few pictures and stand infront of the class and read word for word their powerpoint.  It was so boaring, mindless, unmotivating, not engaging at all, and then a test would follow on Friday.  In reading Electronic Portfolios as Digital Stories of Deep Learning, I related most to the one that states that a AFL should take account of the importance of (and foster) learner motivation.  As a teacher I worked so hard to be a fun teacher that did not waste anytime and I promoted education all of the time but this class has showed me everyweek that there is a better way to motivate students and its not BINGO, JEOPARDY, OR WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE!  A portfolio could be viewed as evidence that a student actually participated in the lesson and at what level they participated.  Assessment is measuring what level the student mastered the lesson.  Creating my own portfolio in this class has made me excited about returning to a school and sharing all of the wonderful uses of a portfolio.  The article advocates that a portfolio should have three interconnected systems which are an archive of student work, an assessment to show achievement, and a place for students to create their own work.  I believe the idea of having students create portfolios with three interconnected systems is a perfect learning environment especially if three different teachers teaching different subjects all worked together on one students portfolio.