EDUC300 Module 5 Synthesis
by Ilicia Kelly
We
explored the concepts of assessments so we can better understand the point of
giving each other assessments at the end of our responses."The goal of
formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback
that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to
improve their learning... The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate
student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against
some standard or benchmark" (CMU).
Formative assessment can be used as a guide by the instructor as a form of
communication to lead the student in the right direction. It has little to no
point value in the assessment. Summative assessment has a high value in grade
to the student and evaluates the student and the quality of the assignment.
The
consensus was that giving a poor grade to another student was difficult because
we didn't want to hurt feelings. We explored why peer assessment was important
for learning and also why it's difficult to peer assess. "In such cases,
peer reviewing (a common task for small group collaboration) is often
superficial, unhelpful, and/or judgmental. It takes time to establish
community, and 12 weeks (the common length of a semester in a paced program) is
sometimes insufficient for those new to online learning to develop both the
requisite skills and confidence to fully participate in collaborative learning"
(IRRODL).
It is difficult in an online course to really get acquainted with your
classmates, so when you see a harsh criticism, it makes us instantly defensive.
Although conflict may create a more interesting discussion, many of us may shy
away from conflict. "Argumentation can bee seen as a crucial part of
coordination in collaboration in the sense that participants try to change each
other's point of view" (O'Donnell, Hmelo-Silver & Erkens, 2006). It's
hard to review your peer that you don't know very well and never met face to
face, because such criticism won't be taken as well by a virtual stranger.
Cassandra made a good point that
it's difficult to hurt people's feelings, and Josh stated that he would just
search for the bests posts that he could give a 100 to and only respond to
those. I am actually guilty of doing the same thing sometimes. I wouldn't even
respond to the posts that were obviously lazy and lacked any proof of
comprehension on the weeks work.
Can
arguments really expand the dialog? Are we really exploring information in this
course that can cause an argument and a heated debate? Probably not, but adding
a bit of spice to the discussion can result in more comprehensive learning and
keep our interests. "Argumentation can bee seen as a crucial part of
coordination in collaboration in the sense that participants try to change each
other's point of view" (O'Donnell, Hmelo-Silver & Erkens, 2006). It's
hard to review your peer that you don't know very well and never met face to
face, because such criticism won't be taken as well by a virtual stranger.
How
can we improve the rubric? I had an idea that I found from an interesting
article. It states that peer assessment is an important tool, but using it in
the right was is imperative to the success of a peer assessment. One idea was
to incorporate three comments on the end of the response:
§
One thing I really
like about this is …
§
One way to make this
stronger could be …
§
Did you ever think
about …" (ASCD)
I think this could really help make
the responses more authentic and create more of a conversation, rather than an
exchange of the information we found for our original post.
In
TOOC this week, we explored concepts like Wiki tools for learning. It's a web
app that lets others collaborate with information that you've acquired. I like
using Wikipedia for information because it's always informative and I feel
undervalued in it's merit, but having apps that help collect information would
be super helpful in group activities for school or work. TOOC also had us do
some readings that gave more background on Wikipedia and how it always uses
reliable resources. "This means
that we publish the opinions only of reliable authors, and not the opinions of
Wikipedians who have read and interpreted primary source material for
themselves" (Wikipedia).
Dr
Gusa asked us to identify our motives for being in this class. I fall into the
category of "non-traditional students who have jobs, families, and carry a
full load of classes. They are stretched to their limit" (Dr Gusa) and in
that were many sub-categories. The categories that define myself are as follows;
Dental hygiene major that needs this course to graduate with no interest in
teaching online (no offense because I would prefer to teach in a clinical
setting) and "students, because of integrity and pride will work hard to
produce their best work, even if it kills them". I enjoy learning new
things and different ways of looking at a subject. I enjoy learning tools that
I can apply to many different aspects of my life. This is why I find that I am
a constructivist learner. "Piaget posited that every learner has a mental
representation of the world which he or she constructs through their
experiences... If the new experience aligns with their mental representation,
the learner assimilates it in the form of new knowledge into their existing
schema" (Taxonomy
of Learning Theories).
During
my associates degree, I was also able to forgo work and concentrate on my
education. Now that I have 2 kids (3 if you count my husband), a full time job,
and a home to maintain, it makes continuing my education so much more difficult
than anything I have tried to achieve in my ENTIRE LIFE!! It's so important
that I finish this degree that I am going without sleep or any free time just
to do quality assignments and complete all papers/ activities. At this point, I
am so close to finishing that it's become the hardest semester so far and I am
tempted each day to quit. I know this is the time when you must push the
hardest and the victory will be so much sweeter, but it doesn't change the fact
that it's wearing me down into a puddle of stress. I also may skip the final
revision in exchange for some sleep, but we can only do our best and hope for a
good grade. I received a letter today stating that I have been awarded the College Academic Award because I have the highest senior cumulative grade point average in the Dental Hygiene curriculum!!! This may have been the hardest semester, but my hard work is paying off!
References:
O'Donell,
A., Hmelo-Silver, C., & Erkins, G. (2006). Collaborative Learning, Reasoning, and Technology. New Jersey : Lawrence
Self Assessment- 100- I fulfilled all requirements of the
rubric
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