Authentic Assessment and Blended Learning Edutopia Resources

Edutopia offers great support for teachers interested in authentic assessment and blended learning. I have been browsing through their site, getting ideas about what other teachers are doing. There are some very good resources there.

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto

As the teachers at my school have started getting together to plan this coming year, one thing that has become clear. We have a vision for the program, but figuring out how to get from where we are now to the fulfillment of that vision can be overwhelming.  I believe we can do it, but we will have to break it down and work on it step-by-step. One resource I read suggested planning by identifying what the end result is that you are shooting for, then working backward. I think that is a very good idea.

We have already gotten a good start.  For one thing, we have to allow for students who have attendance problems as well as for those who can move quickly through the curriculum.  I want assessments to go beyond multiple choice, True False kinds of tests.  That might be okay for some basic things, but we need to create authentic assessments - where students create a product that demonstrates they have mastered the course content/concepts.  It isn't just about course content - it is about helping our students to become master learners.  The tools we use are designed to empower students to be able to go on to whatever post-secondary education they choose and succeed. 

Now it's time to use what I've learned...

Sturgis Central Commons, home of the Community Ed program.

The time has come to put all the things I learned in the Education Media Design Technology Masters program to work.  This year is a year of opportunity for our alternative high school program. We've been given a chance to design a completely different type of approach - at least for us.

There are three of us: the English teacher, the math/science teacher, and myself (social studies).  Using State of Michigan and National standards, we are collaborating to create an approach that incorporates problem based, project based, and blended instruction. 

We have been analyzing the standards and course content for each of the classes we will be teaching, and are collaborating on joint lessons that incorporate standards from all of our disciplines. Since we will also be using a blended approach, I have begun to revamp my Moodle courses to fit our new curriculum.  I am also incorporating the concepts I learned about game design in creating both live and online coursework.

Much of the research I've read over the last year underscored the efficacy of using digital storytelling to support literacy and address 21st century skills. Last year I looked at digital storytelling only in terms of student engagement. This year I want to explore whether we can increase our students' literacy skills through the use of digital storytelling as part of our instruction. 

I plan to use this blog to journal about our experience this year.  We are all well-qualified, but turning theory into reality is a great challenge.  It is going to take many hours of work and great teamwork to create the program we envision.  At the end of the year I want to be able to say our students mastered the knowledge and skills needed for their diplomas - but more than that, I want to see students who are empowered to manage their own learning beyond high school. 

Fait Accompli

Holly, Thomas, myself, and Zoe - Team Digital Horizon rocks!

After a year of rigorous online instruction, we finally reached our goal - graduation. Well, really there is more to it than that.  Each of us has things we want to do with all of the skills and knowledge we gained during the Education Media Design Technology masters program through Full Sail University.

Holly's position at her school has been expanded to allow her time for teacher training. She is sorting out which professional development to do first!  She is the consummate researcher and will do an excellent job of assessing the needs of the teachers at her school and devising training opportunities for them.

Thomas also had a positive impact at his school and will be able to build next year upon the research he did in the EMDT program. I loved the commercial he made to introduce his high school English students to their unit on Gothic writing. Eventually I think he will end up back in his beloved Hawaii. He will have a lot to offer them when he does take that step.

Zoe is our world traveler. After a visit with family in England she will be off to Turkey. She has been invited to present at a conference in Malta in a year or so.  I knew her interactive e-book was a winner, but her research really illustrated its impact on kids. They loved it! Maybe Holly and I can go see her in person in Malta!

As for myself, I really want to use the experience and training I have in educational technology in a larger setting. It is true that at my current school we are designing a project-based program for next year that will also use a blended approach - mixing live classes and online learning opportunities. The teaching staff in my program is great and we really became a team last year. Still - I'd like to have the opportunity to show other teachers how to integrate technology into their classrooms. We'll have to see where that leads me.

 After working our tails off for a year, I could hardly let graduation go by without attending in person!  Part of our visit involved a tour of Full Sail University.  My original undergrad degree in Speech featured an emphasis in theater, so you can imagine how much I enjoyed seeing the tech at Full Sail. This photo is of an area where set pieces are built. Yes, when I was 19, I was doing that sort of thing. The smell of fresh pine really brought me back to NMU and Forest Roberts Theater.

  And yes, when we got to visit the studios used for filming various types of programs, I was really geeking out.  Lighting is my favorite thing, of course. I wouldn't mind learning to run one of those cameras, either!

Ok, so I am not skilled at running a sound board, but that doesn't mean I can't covet this one! Too bad I can't be two people and leave one of my selves at Full Sail for awhile.






Was it worth it? Yes.  There was so much - I will be re-reading my books on using game design to create classroom instruction. I will even be going back over ADDIE!  I intend to audit some of the courses in the future, so that I can improve my skills and keep up with changes in technology. Filmmaking, the Flash course, and game design are 3 I will revisit for sure!
That's the cool thing about Full Sail. We can audit classes in the program for free for the rest of our lives. Awesome!

In the meantime, I have also been looking into PhD programs.  If I want to instruct teachers in ways of integrating technology into their classrooms, and do it at a university, I have to have a PhD. Other opportunities may also present themselves. I would love to work as a Director of Educational Technology for a school district.  Before Full Sail I was already using the Learning Management System, Moodle, doing digital storytelling, and showing my students how to create their own blogs. I want to take the next step, including teaching students how to create their own Personal Learning Environments online with iGoogle.  It will be interesting over the next few months to see where this will lead me.

Congratulations to my fellow Full Sail graduates!  I look forward to seeing what you do, as well. It is bound to be awesome.