Documenting The Use Of Digital Portfolios In An Elementary School Classroom

Assessment is messy. Day-to-day, in-the-moment assessments not only reveal information that drives future instruction but also offer a comprehensive picture of students’ abilities and dispositions toward learning. As teachers, we might know what this looks and feels like, yet it can be hard to put into action—hence the messiness. Say hello to digital student portfolios—dynamic, digital collections of authentic information from different media, in many forms, and with multiple purposes. Using digital portfolios to capture student thinking and progress allows us to better see our students as readers, writers, and learners—and help students see themselves in the same way! Matt Renwick’s Digital Portfolios in the Classroom is a guide to help teachers sort through, capture, and make sense of the messiness associated with assessment. By shining a spotlight on three types of student portfolios—performance, process, and progress—and how they can be used to assess student work, Renwick helps educators navigate the maze of digital tools and implement the results to drive instruction.

Contains a range of issues related to using information technology for learning. This book indicates a move from local support of specific learning activities towards supporting learning and teaching processes in a broader context beyond single tools and individuals users, considering user/learner groups on different levels of granularity.

Teacher Learning and Leadership asserts that teachers should be put at the center of creating, developing, organizing, implementing, and sharing their own ideas for school change rather than being passive recipients of knowledge from the outside. It argues that there is tremendous potential for the good of students and the professionalization of teaching, when teachers work collaboratively to develop their own and their colleagues’ professional knowledge and practices and are supported by school and system leaders, unions and government. The book draws on the groundbreaking work of the Teacher Learning and Leadership Program in Ontario and uses an in-depth case study to illustrate its points. It demonstrates how professional development built around collaboration, teacher leadership, curriculum development, technology and pedagogy can be organized in a way that redistributes control and responsibility to teachers, thereby instilling a genuine sense of pride and accomplishment in their work. This book is a sincere outreach from the authors who advocate for the professional development of, by and for teachers as individuals and, importantly, as a collective profession. The authors argue that projects like the TLLP (a joint initiative between the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation) can radically, and positively, transform teachers’ knowledge, skills and practices. The book provides an important model for school change led by teachers, rather than experts, in partnership with school and system leaders and is a fascinating read for all those concerned with teaching, teacher development and educational change.

The Kinderchat Guide to Elementary School Projects takes the structure, philosophy, and child-centered, playful approach to learning most commonly seen in early childhood and shares how to scale and apply for the wider elementary school community. From one of the founders of the popular online Kinderchat group, this book shows how inviting play into academic learning forms an essential "back and forth" between application and skill development. Learn how to foster discovery, playfulness, imagination, and spontaneity into the elementary school academic curriculum, while keeping skills in the foreground. Offering lesson plans, scaffolded implementation techniques and methodologies, these unique and approachable projects are ready to use by in-service elementary educators, seasoned professionals, and school leaders.

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

The field of education has experienced extraordinary technological, societal, and institutional change in recent years, making it one of the most fascinating yet complex fields of study in social science. Unequalled in its combination of authoritative scholarship and comprehensive coverage, International Encyclopedia of Education, Third Edition succeeds two highly successful previous editions (1985, 1994) in aiming to encapsulate research in this vibrant field for the twenty-first century reader. Under development for five years, this work encompasses over 1,000 articles across 24 individual areas of coverage, and is expected to become the dominant resource in the field. Education is a multidisciplinary and international field drawing on a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines, and this new edition comprehensively matches this diversity. The diverse background and multidisciplinary subject coverage of the Editorial Board ensure a balanced and objective academic framework, with 1,500 contributors representing over 100 countries, capturing a complete portrait of this evolving field. A totally new work, revamped with a wholly new editorial board, structure and brand-new list of meta-sections and articles Developed by an international panel of editors and authors drawn from senior academia Web-enhanced with supplementary multimedia audio and video files, hotlinked to relevant references and sources for further study Incorporates ca. 1,350 articles, with timely coverage of such topics as technology and learning, demography and social change, globalization, and adult learning, to name a few Offers two content delivery options - print and online - the latter of which provides anytime, anywhere access for multiple users and superior search functionality via ScienceDirect, as well as multimedia content, including audio and video files

A new approach to contemporary documentation and learning What is learning? How do we look for, capture, reflect on, and share learning to foster meaningful and active engagement? A Guide to Documenting Learning helps educators answer these questions. Documenting learning is a process that makes thinking about learning processes visible, meaningful, shareable, and amplified. It facilitates student-driven learning, helping students reflect on and articulate their own learning processes. It also helps teachers reflect on their own learning and classroom practice. When teachers are co-creators with their students, both gain valuable insights that inform future learning and empower students as engaged learners. This unique how-to book Explains the purposes and different types of documentation Teaches different "LearningFlow" systems to help educators integrate documentation throughout the curriculum Provides authentic examples of documentation in real classrooms Is accompanied by a robust companion website where readers can find even more documentation examples and video tutorials Written for educators of any grade level, this book provides insights into contemporary learning and professional learning environments, and emphasizes the power of technology to amplify teaching and learning beyond school walls. "This book touches upon information that would be useful to any school system because it scaffolds ways that educators can help students make their thinking known, which will only improve their future reasoning skills." LaQuita Outlaw, Principal Bay Shore Middle School, Bay Shore, NY "This book will become an important guide for schools and educators to have on their shelves. The content is original, highly organized and presents many new ideas on documenting learning. It takes what is happening in the world of teaching right now and elevates it to a coherent pedagogical process. The graphics are a fantastic resource." Andrea Hernandez, Educational Consultant amplifiEDucation and edtechworkshop.blogspot.com, Jacksonville, FL