The school I am currently at primarily uses Aeries and EDU 2.0 for data management. Additionally, each student has a cumulative file, but these are hardcopies, so are accessed on more specific occasions.
Aeries has data on the following for each student: attendance, discipline history, family, grades, medical, testing, and interventions. Each teacher can access this information about any student in his/her classes.
EDU 2.0 allows teachers to search for any student in the school; however, there is less information available to find. EDU 2.0 is used primarily by teachers to manage their own classes and it does handle data management in this way very well. It allows teachers to clearly see how their students are performing in each class both overall and specifically on each assignment.
I think it would be useful to collect additional data about interests, extracurricular activities, and achievements. The majority of the present data seems to be either be very quantitative (ie: grades) or negative (ie: interventions). It might be a little extra work, but I think it would be extremely valuable for teachers to know positives about each student as well. Additionally, knowing about extracurriculars and interests could help teachers find new ways to engage their students. This data could be organized and stored very similarly, so it would not require an overhaul of the system, just data entry.
It should be noted that having access to data like this can have both a positive and a negative effect on our relationships with our students. I am wary of becoming too reliant or trusting of data on a student because it could easily lead to assumptions. For example, I worry that assumptions about a student, which are unsupported by the student's current behavior, may continue to be perpetuated because of a data management system.
However, I think that having this information can be invaluable, if used cautiously, because it can provide a more big picture view of each student. This can mean understanding what I can do as a teacher to make my classroom a better learning environment and experience for a particular student. It can also mean, as I mentioned, finding ways to make my subject matter connect to a student's interests.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
iPad Apps
One of the first things I noticed when I began student-teaching is how much iPads can/have change(d) the classroom! As I noted in my previous post, this comes with many challenges; however, if we put aside the numerous challenges of 1:1 technology and focus in on the teacher's interaction with an iPad, the conclusion is clear: iPads are incredible teaching tools.
My favorite teaching tool app is Pick Me! It is one of the simplest apps I have come across, but sometimes simplicity is exactly what we need as teachers. It has two primary functions: the first is for learning students' names. The teacher enters all of their names, take photos during one of the first days of school, and then takes it home to study. I have a hard time with names, but know how important it is to learn them quickly, so I know that this will be invaluable for me. The second function acts like a digital version of the "popsicle stick method" for cold-calling. The students seem to find Pick Me! less intimidating and more enjoyable and I (as the teacher) enjoy it more too.
Another favorite app of mine is TED. It too is relatively simple: it allows you to easily play TED videos for your class. TED videos are incredible ways to enhance and promote learning; they connect the classroom to the real world and engage students in a different way. In addition, the app has a few added features, my favorite of which is "Inspire Me." It allows the user to search by mood and length and then produces a few options. While this could be a really useful way to fill the last few minutes of a period, I would be hesitant to show a video to my class without having already watched it. Instead, I would use this feature on my own time to find a list of videos to have in my "back pocket."
The third app I have chosen to discuss is Educreations. It is yet another simple app, but behind this simplicity is a very powerful tool. When the iPad is hooked up with Apple TV, Educreations can turn it into a merge of a doc cam and a white board. It enables the teacher to provide simple, yet clear modeling for students (similar to a doc cam and a white board); however, it also allows the teacher to walk around the room while doing this! I truly believe that this can revolutionize teaching. Without being chained to the front of the classroom, the teacher is able to assess and interact with his/her students throughout the period regardless of the content that day. Every day can have the valuable teacher interactions that are possible during group work.
I have chosen not to discuss the many biology-specific apps that are available because I think that while they are useful, the above apps are tools that I can use throughout the year and at any level. In addition, these apps are often best when used individually, so they come along with the many challenges of 1:1 technology. I look forward to using them as well, but I know that I will be using teaching tool apps consistently and immediately.
My favorite teaching tool app is Pick Me! It is one of the simplest apps I have come across, but sometimes simplicity is exactly what we need as teachers. It has two primary functions: the first is for learning students' names. The teacher enters all of their names, take photos during one of the first days of school, and then takes it home to study. I have a hard time with names, but know how important it is to learn them quickly, so I know that this will be invaluable for me. The second function acts like a digital version of the "popsicle stick method" for cold-calling. The students seem to find Pick Me! less intimidating and more enjoyable and I (as the teacher) enjoy it more too.
Another favorite app of mine is TED. It too is relatively simple: it allows you to easily play TED videos for your class. TED videos are incredible ways to enhance and promote learning; they connect the classroom to the real world and engage students in a different way. In addition, the app has a few added features, my favorite of which is "Inspire Me." It allows the user to search by mood and length and then produces a few options. While this could be a really useful way to fill the last few minutes of a period, I would be hesitant to show a video to my class without having already watched it. Instead, I would use this feature on my own time to find a list of videos to have in my "back pocket."
The third app I have chosen to discuss is Educreations. It is yet another simple app, but behind this simplicity is a very powerful tool. When the iPad is hooked up with Apple TV, Educreations can turn it into a merge of a doc cam and a white board. It enables the teacher to provide simple, yet clear modeling for students (similar to a doc cam and a white board); however, it also allows the teacher to walk around the room while doing this! I truly believe that this can revolutionize teaching. Without being chained to the front of the classroom, the teacher is able to assess and interact with his/her students throughout the period regardless of the content that day. Every day can have the valuable teacher interactions that are possible during group work.
I have chosen not to discuss the many biology-specific apps that are available because I think that while they are useful, the above apps are tools that I can use throughout the year and at any level. In addition, these apps are often best when used individually, so they come along with the many challenges of 1:1 technology. I look forward to using them as well, but I know that I will be using teaching tool apps consistently and immediately.
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