Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Developing Lessons with Technology

Focus Question: How can teachers evaluate and asses their students?

 Teachers can evaluate and asses their students by testing before, during and after teaching their lessons. Using technology can make it easier for teachers to evaluate their students multiple times throughout a lesson by making it simpler for students to take the test on a computer and making it easier for teachers to grade and asses the results of the exams. Standardized tests are currently the most common way that teachers can evaluate their students, and now with the help of technology they can compare students across the country to appropriately asses where the areas of concern may be and where their students fall within the rest of the district, state, and country. This information allows teachers to focus on the problem areas, or direct more attention to where their students are having a difficult time understanding.

Tech Tool Link: www.pbs.org/teachers

I chose to explore the PBS teachers tech tool link because I was interested in getting some ideas on different lesson plans and what options are available. I really enjoy sports and I would like to create lesson plans that allow the students to relate to the material they are learning. I found a lesson plan that uses the greatest hitters in the baseball hall of fame to teach eleventh grade students math by using the batting averages of the players to understand data analysis and statistics.

After spending some time on this website, I believe it is a very useful tool. Not only does this website provide free lesson plans but it also provides different activities for students both online and in class, and it also provides a discussion board so teachers can communicate with each other the effectiveness of the lesson plans and share new innovative ideas for using technology to teach. One of my interest is to possible become a physical education teacher and by searching the PBS website I found http://coachgrantsblog.blogspot.com/ a blog about a physical education teacher that is using technology to teach math, and science in his P.E. class.

 

This chapter provided a lot of useful information on how to use technology to aid the teacher in creating lesson plans that will be more effective in getting the information across to students in a way that will help them learn the information rather than memorizing the material. I was most intrigued by the electronic grading software which allows teachers grade in real- time, but also calculate student records automatically. I feel that being able to instantly show students their progress can motivate them to continue succeeding. Allowing students to have instant access to their grades can show them where they are making mistakes and whether or not they should seek further help in a timely manner rather than waiting for report cards or progress reports to arrive. This “instant gratification” allows teachers to help students before it becomes too late for a child to improve. Electronic grading software paired with online or computerized tests is creating a future for education where teachers will be able to efficiently assess students, gauge where their level of understanding is, and create lesson plans that are modified to focus on areas that need more attention while not spending unnecessary time covering areas that the students are already familiar with.