# data[].attributes.body
This is the article I am responding to with 3 things I learned, 2 questions that I have, and 1 way I can apply it to my own teaching.

# data[].attributes.body
How do we anticipate the beyond?

Better yet, did we anticipate the beyond that exists right now? Many see these technologies as new, as though they had never thought that these new conventional literacies would ever exist. The artifact that I have shared is entitled "The 35 Best Web 2.0 Tools Chosen By You". The title alone shows how quickly these tools and trends emerge. These are all wonderful classroom tools and the article was written over 4 years ago. How long will the term "new" be applicable to this idea?

The tools are not what makes technology infused learning so exemplar. Lankshear and Knoble refer to these as paradigm cases. They differ from conventional approaches because they use the technology and the transformative practice also referred to as "ethos".

# data[].attributes.body
How can I effectively persuade my colleagues of the importance of transforming their practices to include the New Literacies?

At work I often have a hard time deciding what part of my job is the most important. I am a full time classroom teacher and I am also the "technology specialist" in the building. Teaching art is very important, but what I do with the other part of my job seems even more important. It is my job to convince teachers that we must infuse technology into our teaching or we are jeopardizing our student's futures.

Teaching art is a cake-walk compared to teaching teachers about technology. I have shared the link to our PD website. Instead of attempting to pursuade each teacher individually, I have decided that shifting the culture of the entire staff will be more effective. Throwing tools and technology in teachers faces does not shift their thinking it is a temporary solution. My administrator has made a pact with me that she will transform the way she teaches the teachers in order to affect the culture as a whole. It is through this website that we will disseminate all information and participate in activities that involve many new literacies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This site is to share the latest PD resources for Amos Hiatt Middle School

# data[].attributes.body
"It is increasingly imperative for teachers themselves to experience and understand what it means to be fully engaged in new literacies practices." (100)

I am a dive in head first type of person. However, I am finding that the head first approach is not working to successfully persuade my teachers (see question #1). It does not work to just throw technology at teachers and expect them to truly understand the implications for the new literacies. Lankshear and Knoble call this a commitment to getting to the "inside" of a practice. In the blogpost that I have attached, Aaron Maurer (coffeechug) explains his thoughts surrounding technology not ensuring quality. Teachers that are scared to try new and unknown practices are doing more than just effecting student learning outcomes. This is very fitting with the implications of New Literacies have on teaching. Teachers are in essence not adhering to one of the most important teaching standards that is engaging in professional growth. It is the duty of the teacher to take part in this participatory culture and design instruction that follows suit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I've found now as processors have gotten faster and programs have gotten smarter, there's some pretty musical tools that are showing up in the digital world. The tools are better......the tools are much better today than they were 5 years ago, certainly 30 years ago; but now that everyone is empowered with these tools to create stuff, has there been a lot more great shit coming out? Not really.

You still have to do something with those tools.......You should really have something to say

Trent Reznor from the documentary Sound City.

This week during our Voxer Iowa Educators group discussions we have been discussing social media, education technology, and why so many educators are afraid or lack a knowledge on how to use these tools to their benefit.

At the same time I see a major issue when schools go all in on textbooks and packaged curriculum. Or even a school or district wide initiative to bridge technology in the classroom.

Education tools are much like music tools, they are improving and becoming easier to use, more powerful, and slowly starting to identify the needs and provide solutions.

But at the end of the day it is all wasted effort, time, and money if teachers don't have something to say. Do our lessons and teaching practices have a purpose? Are we passionate about what we are teaching? Is it connected to the standards? Do we have inquiry built in to allow for student voice?

If these elements are not in your classroom culture, then the technology does not matter. I often think that sometimes schools try to mask poor teaching with technology and we wonder why things don't improve.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Technology Does Not Create Better Quality

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I've found now as processors have gotten faster and programs have gotten smarter, there's some pretty musical tools that are showing up in the digital world. The tools are better......the tools are much better today than they were 5 years ago, certainly 30 years ago; but now that everyone is empowered with these tools to [...]

# data[].attributes.body
"Quality is judged by groups rather than appointed experts." (98)

The new ethos calls for new forms of assessment. No longer should the teacher be considered the expert or the final say in what learning should look like. Instead, the participatory culture allows learning to transform from the traditional sit and get model to a participatory experience that allows students to form their own meanings in divergent ways.

The link that I have attached is a post about using blog-based portfolios for student learning. I think this highlights the impact that technology can play on assessment. Not assessment for grade sake, but rather assessment that allows teachers, students, and parents to physically see the learning that is happening. In our math classes we have the students who become proficient first record themselves solving equations while thinking out loud. The idea is that the students whom are struggling can watch the other students ways of thinking. The teacher is not always the expert. We must hone in on the resources around us and allow our students to learn from one another.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Editor's note: Kathy Cassidy is the author of a new book from Powerful Learning Press, Connected from the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades. During a recent webinar (free archive here), Kathy shared many ideas from Chapter 5 of the book, "Using Blogs as Digital Portfolios." The webinar was rich in content and full of great discussion - so much so that there simply wasn't time for Kathy to share her thoughts, in depth, about where formative and summative assessments might fit into this digital blog/portfolio model.
So we've asked her to write this article. Much as she does in her eBook, she's included short videos, useful downloads, and links to other valuable resources. ~ John Norton
A Great Tool to Continuously Assess Progress
by Kathy Cassidy
In my classroom, each of my grade one and grade two students has their own blog. These blogs also serve as digital portfolios. Throughout the school year, the children post artifacts of their learning from all subject areas, including writing samples, podcasts of reading fluency, photos of artwork, explanations of mathematics concepts and videos that summarize their learning in science, health and social studies. (Note: The videos linked to in this blog post work best when played through Google Chrome.)

The children have these online portfolios for many reasons, including an authentic audience, parental engagement, and the opportunity to create an online community. We also use these digital portfolios for assessment, but not in the "this goes on the report card" sense that you might expect.

Formative Assessment

I am continually doing formative assessment in my classroom - that is, assessment for learning. As I watch the students, listen to their questions and answers and see the learning artifacts they produce, I am constantly gauging their understanding of a concept and their readiness to move on to the next one. Experienced teachers do a lot of this kind of immediate, ongoing assessment without much conscious thought.

This continuous formative assessment is one of the primary purposes of our digital portfolios in my mind. The artifacts on my students' digital portfolios inform my teaching and help me to meet the particular needs of each of my learners. The chronological nature of blog posts lets my students, their parents and me see where the children began and where they are at present. We can think together about where we want to go next.

In fact, we use what is posted on the student's blog as the starting points for our discussions at our student-led conferences where we look (with parents) at what they have posted and set goals for the next term.
Verbal explanations
I have always used formative assessment in my classroom, but our digital portfolios give me much richer information than our paper portfolios ever did. Because my young students are still beginning writers, it is often difficult for them to explain their learning through writing. They can, however, explain their learning verbally. There are lots of apps (including my current iPad favorites Educreations and Draw & Tell) that record voice over an image. These digital artifacts allow me to understand a child's thinking in a much deeper way.

For example, I recently asked my grade two students to record their thinking while solving a two-digit math equation that involved "borrowing." They were all able to demonstrate for me that they could do the process involved in solving this kind of equation. If I had been using paper for this that would have been the end of my understanding. Because the students had recorded their thinking at the same time using a screen-casting app, I could tell that although they could all do the mechanics of the problem, most of them could not enunciate that they were actually borrowing a ten. Clearly more learning needed to be done. If I had been using paper portfolios, I would not have realized this.

When my grade one students explained the addition strategies that they knew using a screen-casting app, I had only to watch their videos to realize which students needed further instruction for which strategies.

Self-assessment is part of our formative assessment process. Self-reflection is important to any learner, whether old or young. While I ask my students to self-assess frequently, I have only recently begun asking them to include this as part of their portfolio. I intend to make this a more regular habit.

Summative Assessment

There are some occasions when I think a student's digital portfolio can be used for summative assessment or assessment of learning.

For example, at the end of units of learning in science, social studies or health, I ask my students to create a project that shows what they have learned about that particular topic. We talk about digital and paper choices they could make for sharing what they know (despite our 1-to-1 iPad environment, markers and poster board are still extremely popular). Then we make an anchor chart about what they should include in their project.

One of the criteria for these end-of-unit summaries is that they must be put into a digital form that can be posted on their blog. Making a video that shows the artifact they have created along with a verbal explanation of the necessary information is the most popular way to do this. Once the students have completed the assignment, I have a rich record of their learning. I use these projects as summative assessment.

The important thing that makes this assessment summative is that the students know, before they start, that this is going to be used as a final assessment. They also know what needs to be included and the criteria that I will be using when I judge it.

Sometimes No Assessment is Necessary

A few of the items that my students post to their portfolio are for neither formative nor summative assessment.

These are posts that are selected by the students themselves to show the things that they have chosen to learn on their own - either during an indoor recess (we get more than our share of these during the winters in Saskatchewan), at home, or after they have completed a project at school. These posts include drawings of SpongeBob SquarePants, pictures of Lego creations or videos of dominos falling.

While these creations have nothing to do with our curriculum, they are important to the child and thus important to include as part of their digital portfolio.

The beauty of digital portfolios is that as the children and I are constantly assessing their learning in a formative and summative way, the students are also demonstrating their growing knowledge for a wide audience and learning about digital citizenship and appropriate online behavior. What great by-products of the assessment process!

The following two tabs change content below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Assessing Student Progress Using Blog-Based Portfolios

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Editor's note: Kathy Cassidy is the author of a new book from Powerful Learning Press, Connected from the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades. During a recent webinar (free archive here), Kathy shared many ideas from Chapter 5 of the book, "Using Blogs as Digital Portfolios."

# data[].attributes.body
"-Particularly in the world beyond school, since it is the world beyond school with which education is ultimately concerned." (97)

Our students are ready to transform their learning, it is often the system that is holding them back. Lankshear and Knoble contend that new literacies focus on young people "doing their thing". We must harness the skills that they already have and use that as the platform for their learning. We no longer have to be the source of all information for our students. Instead we are more like their travel guides. In his talk, Logan LaPlante makes a compelling cry to the world of the importance of learning to live vs. learning to work. Like Logan, all students have the capability of "hack schooling", but we need to give them the support.

Lets talk about the power of the cell phone. I have been taking lots of time making sure to teach my students everyday technologies. It may be as simple as making sure they know how to effectively navigate a website or how to send and email. The technology doesn't have to be the coolest tool, it has to be the tool that impacts their learning the most. Once the students understand the power that they hold in their hand, the hope is that they will use it outside of the classroom to further their learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hackschooling makes me happy | Logan LaPlante | TEDxUniversityofNevada

# data[].attributes.body
This article, though short and sweet, really sums up my understandings of New Literacies so far in this course. It isn't some cookie cutter idea or new teaching fad. It is understanding the importance of embracing the collaborative state of the world. We must forget what we know and learn to transform our teaching practices to fit the needs of the students in this lifetime. In Jacob's talk he articulates the importance of perspectives that people bring to learning. We need to stop what we are doing and really think about whether or not the education that we are providing is the best way for our students to learn.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Forget what you know | Jacob Barnett | TEDxTeen