Simply just week five :)

Hello everyone,

This is yet another week where I have uncovered more amazing tools for my teaching.  I have learned a lot this week. Before I took this course, my students must have thought like this following picture concerning their performance.

 First of all, rubric and alternative assessment is very useful for teachers setting clear, understandable goals and providing guidelines for students so that they will know how to meet the necessary criteria to get their work done. Before I just knew we needed rubrics but after reading some articles I have realized rubrics can be divided into four types and how each type should be used for different types of assessment.We, teachers have now experienced the powerful influence of rubrics by ourselves whenever we post something on Nicenet or a blog. We know how we are going to be assessed for every task we do so that we don't deviate from our original goal post because rubrics constantly remind us of how to meet the expectations of our course requirements. We can give our students that message through rubrics, this sense of awareness can help them guide onto the right track and they won't be overwhelmed by unnecessary details outside of their work. Since alternative assessment is performance based and focuses more on the strengths of the students, learner centered classrooms benefit a lot where students actively involve in judging their own progress. I used "Rubistar" to create rubrics for my students and I believe I have made a difference in their learning. It was not like my traditional way of assessment where they wrote an essay and I checked it and what they knew was sentences must be grammatically correct. But after showing them the rubric I have created, they knew what needed to be done and how it should be done rather than did it blindly. As a result, their writing improved and I was more than happy to see it happening. Now, I know what I have to do, stick to rubrics to get satisfying outcomes.

PBL and webquest are very new to me. But I have learned that they have a positive effect on the learners. They motivate them, give them a chance to work harmoniously in their community, let them deal with real issues by developing  their creativity, critical thinking, language, analytical and problem solving skills. Most important of all, these tools help them to blend their abilities with technology to accomplish their project in a given time frame. Sharing about this and writing posts on Nicenet really helps me learn more, to get more ideas from others and to look at things from different perspectives. I have decided to apply them in my classroom to help make my students to be more confident and independent in their learning.

This week I am glad that I have finally come up with the solution for my project. Thanks a lot Courtney for putting me back on the right track.

Last but not least, the most exciting part is doing extra credit task even though it's not compulsory for this week task. I wrestled with my time to finish it. But after I have done it, I have realized it's worth it. I used Zunal to create my own webquest after observing the provided samples. I was very much interested in planning a webquest for my students. I am confident that this will enhance their multiple skills. Even my motivation was at its highest to do this type of systematical project plans and guidelines for the learners. Not to mention the fact that how effective it can be when learners use this new way of learning.

Awesome! Fantastic! Great! Fabulous! Amazing! I love you WEEK FIVE!

All the best,

Kyi Tha Wai