Tuesday, July 29, 2008

And 4 your Next Trick. . .


We are almost finished. . .seriously ;-) I know that you all must feel like there is no end in sight, but the next two weeks should allow you to reflect on all of your hard work and newly acquired technological savvy as you prepare to write your TPE reflections. . .

What are we currently juggling: wiki, web 2.0, Inspiration, Journals 1-6, Intro to TaskStream, spreadsheets, and . . .I think that's it.

What we have left: iMovie software proficiency, EdTechProfile Post Test, emerging technology (pimping your blog with by adding your artifacts) and your TaskStream portfolio . . . not too much for two weeks.

Journals 5 & 6:
You have the option to surf the web to find online publications that deal with educational technology, or you can choose one or two of the following . . .The August issue of L&L is now online, so I will use some articles from it!
Transforming School Communities: Creating Dialog Using Web 2.0 Tools By Helen Soulé and/or Connecting Depth and Balance in Class By Matthew S. Kuhn

Emerging Technology: I will go over how to put your Newsletter, PowerPoint, Inspiration, etc., on your blog. The emerging technology assignment is simply the way in which you incorporated everything we have learned into your blog using some of the cool tools that I demonstrate on the class blog!

Tonight we will begin the iMovie software proficiency assignment, which must be completed in the lab. You should be able to finish by Thursday evening.

That's it. . .I think

Tonight's question: Does the current Institution of Education teach students to value grades or learning? If a professor told you her/his course is going to be graded Pass/Fail, would you try just as hard? Explain.

26 comments:

Sisters Sheeba said...

Our goal is to encourage learning but what students are most concerned about (when they are concerned) is grades. Pass/Fail options is what allows them to relax about their grades and either do just enough to pass, or attempt to learn rather than earn points. At least that's my current opinion on the matter.

Carissa Anderson said...

From what I've seen in the high school and college classes I've been in grades are the most highly valued, rather than learning. If I knew that a class was pass/fail I would still try as hard, but I can't say that all of my classmates would feel the same way.

sydneycamden said...

I believe that grades present the idea of competition which is very present in our educational system. For example how many kids ask and focus on what other students received as a grade compared to him or herself. I feel that pass/fail option would take away from that level of competition and drive and students would just do what they have to do in order to pass. I do not agree with this method.

Ms. Wood said...

I feel the ever present pressure of grades. As much as I care about acquiring the knowledge I need to be an effective teacher, there is still a grade obsessed climate in my credential program. In high school and college I would have worked only hard enough to get the "pass." Now however, I feel the pressure of my impending student teaching in 10 weeks and I need to know as much as possible before my trial by fire.

Katy said...

I think that the current system trains children to value grades more than it does learning. With all the pressure to pass proficiency exams and earn a certain GPA, children are obsessed with the letter they get after the completion of a class or assignment, not the understanding of the material.

Michelle Rivera said...

The current educational system values grades most highly, especially as evidenced by all of the aggressive testing currently happening. I would try as hard if a class was pass/fail just because whatever work I do I want to be the best I'm capable of, regardless of grades.

aatwood said...

With the coming of the No Child Left Alive..cough, cough...oh excuse me, No Child Left Behind act our educational system as a whole has come to be based off of grades and not learning. Student are expected to retain the knowledge our educational institutions teaches them and then regurgitate it on a test, learning takes a back seat when money is involved. The thing that keeps me up at night is the worry that when I become a teacher, I will be expected to teach to the test, killing any creativity, I might have in my classroom, and become the boring, dull, teachers I hated in school and wanted to do better than, because I actually cared about my students, school, and community. If a professor at this campus was to offer a course with pass/fail as apposed to grades I would work just as hard. To me it doesn't matter how you slice it, its your personal work ethic that gets you through our courses.

kelciejoiner said...

now days most students are more worried or concerned about the grade they will receive rather then what they will get out of it. I feel that is one negative to this system but I also feel that its positive aspects allow students to maintain a certain drive that will bring them a needed success. Grades allow students to feel good about themselves (most of the time).

Jessica said...

Grades do take priority of learning; high grades for grants, grad school...However, with my experience learning has had somewhat of a priority over grades. My field is biology and you have no choice but to learn the material especially in the "weed out courses" (i.e organic chemistry) so, learning is necessary for survival. As for myself and those that I associate with (not all of them) "C's get degrees" is a lifestyle choice. A pass/fail grading scheme would make some students feel not so competitive which can yield to laziness but, I feel that the desire to learn if a student is inspired to do so prevails grading.

Jenny said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jenny said...

With No Child Left Behind as the drivinig force in today's Institution of Education, grades seem to be valued much more than the learning aspect. It's hard to assess a student's understanding of a lesson using grades because it may not fully reflect his/her learning. But unfortanely, grades seem to be of greater importance to teachers, students, parents, and districts alike.

If a professor told me that the class would be based on a pass/fail, I would most likely not try as hard because there would not be that incentive to aim for, say, an A as opposed to a B+.

Heather said...

pass or fail to me means do what you have to do to get by. i know i wouldn't try hard enough to learn to my full potential. and todays students are definitely geared purely for grades. they walk away forgetting most of what they learn because after they get their grade, good or bad, they don't even try to use the skills they needed to receive that grade. it's a sad world when education is all about how good the teachers look and not what the students are actually learning.

Lorraine said...

The current Institution of Education teaches students to value grades. Period. It is all anyone ever talks about and is considered a direct reflection of how hard you work and how "smart" you are. I believe that there are exceptions but I have not been exposed to them (until now) so maybe it's a northeastern thing but I doubt it.

If a professor told you her/his course is going to be graded Pass/Fail, would you try just as hard? Yes I would because I work so that I can become a better teacher and to develop a genuine relationship with my colleagues and teachers. At least on a good day :)

Sharon 422 said...

Honestly on a grand scale I would say Grades. Grades are supposed to prove the content and profiency, it is the only way we have to do that is grades. Although grades do not alway reflect proficiency it is the system our schools have chosen. I personally being the over-achiever that I would have a hard time just accepting a pass/fail grade.

Elizabeth Froeberg said...

I think grades are more highly valued among students than learning. We'd like for them to value learning more, but I don't think thats always the case. There is so much pressure these days to get good grades that students study enough to pass the tests and then forget the information they crammed in their heads as soon as the class is over. It's sad, but true. As a student if I were told the course was going to be pass/fail, I wouldn't try as hard. I'd try enough to do well but not as hard as I would if I knew I would be receiving a letter grade.

Sarah S said...

Actually, I don't think our current educational system teachers either. Everyone is so worried about the standardized testing that keeping the learned knowledge is not important. In higher education I think there is a mixture of importance of both knowledge and grades as they will most likely use the information in the career they have chosen.

I would try just as hard in a pass/fail class. If I stopped trying as hard, then I probably would not gain anything from it. I am in college to gain more knowledge.

Beth said...

Overall, I think grades are the priority for most students. We've been raised to get the best grades possible and to feel competitive with fellow students. If I were told a course was pass/fail, I believe I still would try just as hard. It's a matter of pride and wenting to do my best. It would bother me if I relaxed my standards just because I could.

Andrea Welch said...

In my educational experiences, grades have always been valued more than the actual learning. When students have to deal with high-stakes testing, they are more concerned with getting the right answer the understanding why it is the right answer. Many students simply jump the hoops that their teachers ask them to jump through, but they are not actually gaining anything educational out of the experience. I think if our current educational system would focus more on the learning, and less on how good the records look, students would get so much more out of their time spent in public schools.

Jamie Inarda said...

From what I have experienced it seems that students value grades more than learning. You need good grades to get into college and you need good grades to get into Grad School and beyond. Learning should be the focus of education but so much importance has been put onto grades that it is what drives students.

Eric Flam said...

It seems that the educational system in place emphasizes grades over learning. At the same time, if a class is grade credit/no credit I don't think students would try as hard and; therefore, learn as much as they would have in a normally graded class. No easy answers to this question.

Eliane's 422 said...

According to what I have been seen so far, I think that grades are highly valued , rather than really learning the subject! It is a lot of date due and assignments!

Anonymous said...

I can remember in high school when grades were top priority! Evryone was more worries about their GPA for college rather then focusing on content of what they were learning. I think that I would still try hard. Ir order to pass you must learn and understand the content.

Jsnd08 said...

I believe that grades are truly important. This is what students really care about. I know that if a professor made a class pass or fail students will be more laid back and tend to relax.

Evette said...

If a professor told me that the class was just pass/fail, I wouldn't try as hard because I would feel that as long as I did some work I should pass. Working towards an "A" seems to motivate students more.

Justin said...

Easily quantifiable academic progress is becoming more and more the norm with the political "solution" of NCLB. Mainly because I'm a nervous student I try pretty hard just in case something goes wrong and I need some leeway. I'd probably try fairly hard even in a pass/fail class because I'd be afraid of failing.

jamie reeder said...

The currently I believe teaching focuses on the grade. At least until you get to college and even here I think a lot of teaching is done toward grading instead of learning. I think teachers do what they can to move you along and if you learn something along the way it's just a bonus or a fluke depends how you look at it. I don't blame teachers for this they are a product of an educational structure that is beyond their control at this time.